


Hidden in the Fall

by mybrandneweyes



Category: Chris Evans - Fandom
Genre: Avengers: Age of Ultron set, F/M, Publicist, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-03-22 09:13:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 26,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3723391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mybrandneweyes/pseuds/mybrandneweyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Holly is sent to London to be a personal assistant on the set of Avengers: Age of Ultron.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“You’ll be working with Chris Evans. His personal assistant was forced to-“ blah, blah, blah.

Sure, she knew who he was. She had been a fan of the Marvel movies ever since she had been introduced to them by one of her best friends in her sophomore year of college.

But never in a million years did she think that she would be working with one of the men on her T.V. screen.

“Okay.” She answered, clearing her throat.

“You’ll meet him in London, where they are shooting on location and stay with him ‘til they wrap.”

“How long is that exactly?” she asked, flipping through her stack of papers.

“Almost four months.” The supervisor answered, making her chocolate brown eyes nearly bug out of her head. She hoped Scott would be fine with looking after the apartment and Sophie for so long.

“Mr. Evans is already across the country in Boston with his family, so he will be meeting you in London.” Meeting in London? That’ll be an interesting day. “You’ll be staying in the same hotel as him, just down the hall. In a way, you will be indispensable to him.”

She nodded nervously, her leg bouncing up and down. It wasn’t that she was nervous of the situation; it was more that she was nervous to meet him. What was he like? Was he as good as his publicist made him out to be? Was he the sweet, funny man that girls swooned over?

“Here is your packet of information. Your plan tickets, reservations, and contacts are all in there.” Her supervisor finished, smiling. “Thank you for doing this, Holly. You’re a gem.” Holly nodded, saying her thanks. She was overwhelmed to stay the least.

After interning for Disney, she had been taken on full-time as a public relations assistant. Due to budget cuts, however, they had cut her position along with a few others. They had brought her back as a company assistant, who would be at the disposal of whichever actor they assigned her to.

In her case, it was Chris Evans.

Her feet moved on their own accord as she headed for the parking lot. She looked down at the file, smoothing her free, sweaty hand on her black pencil skirt. Her movements mechanical, she stuffed the file in her bag and dug around for her keys. Her fingers fumbled through the keyring, locating the key to her 2002 Pontiac Firebird, affectionately named Frank. 

Her only goal was to get home and make a nice dinner for herself so she could calm herself down and organize her thoughts. She had gone from zero to sixty within five seconds.

She drove mechanically, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. As she pulled into her apartment complex, she exhaled a lungful of air. Scotty was going to be disappointed that he would be left to take care of the apartment by himself.

Her keys jingled as she piled the file into her arms and slung her bag over her shoulder. Trudging up three flights of stairs, she jostled her bag and the folder under her arm, looking for her keys. She heard her funny companion bark on the other side of the door.

“I’m comin’.” The door opened to reveal her brother, who grinned.

“Hey, sis. Sup?” he asked, taking the file as she thrust it into his empty hands. She quietly closed the door behind her, scratching Sophie’s ears meditatively. “Wow. Is this for real?”

“Yep. Ship out next week.” She answered quietly. “Are you okay with it?”

Yeah. I think Soph and I can manage.” He smiled, setting the file aside on their coffee table.

“It’s so long. Are you sure?”

“Of course. You gotta do what you gotta do. This is one of those life-changing moments that we were talking about the other day.” Scotty was grinning now. “Besides, Chris Evans? Even I have a little bit of a man-crush on him.” Holly blushed and laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“It’ll be strictly business… friends at the most.” She assured him, heading to the kitchen to start their dinner. Sophie trotted behind her, metal ID tags jingling happily.

“So, you want me to drive you to the airport on Monday?” he asked, popping a beer open for her.

“That’d be great, Scotty. Thanks.” Her nervousness began to dissipate.

And that’s how their story began.


	2. Chapter 2

Holly released a puff of air from her lungs, blowing a stray curl out of her face. The British airport felt no different from an American airport. It was cooler… air conditioned possibly? It was busy, bustling with people she would never know. They were herded into Customs, and then shuffled to baggage claim. It was there that she got lost in her thoughts, toying with the long red curl that tickled her collarbone.

“Hi,” a voice said from beside her, startling her into consciousness. A blonde woman stood next to her, her gold locks shining brightly in the incandescent light of the terminal. Her green eyes almost smiled at her.

“Hello.” Holly finally answered, baffled that someone was speaking to her.

“I saw your folder… oh man, this is going to be so creepy, but are you working for Marvel on the set of ‘The Avengers’?”

“I am.” She responded cautiously, not sure what the stranger was getting at.

“Me too!” the woman answered excitedly, holding her hand out. “I’m Lauren!”

“Holly,” she replied with a relieved laugh. “I’m glad to have met someone else on the project.”

“Me too! Are you headed to The Arch?”

“Yeah! Do you want to share a cab?” Holly asked, finally seeing her ugly luggage and plucking it from the rotation.

“I’d love to. Let’s go.”

The two women talked side-by-side out to the cluttered curbside. It was drizzling just lightly. Holly wrinkled her nose, smiling to herself. No one had been kidding when they told her that London would be chilly and rainy compared to Los Angeles.

“This is going to take some getting used to.” Lauren said quietly.

The cab pulled up to the hotel and their jaws dropped in disbelief. She knew that the accommodations would be better than what she was used to, but nothing like The Arch.

“Well, this is insane.” Lauren said bluntly. “Let’s check-in and unpack.” Holly nodded and clambered out of the cab to grab her bags.

The process was quick and she was soon standing in her room, which connected to Lauren’s, ironically enough. She stood in the dead center, wringing her hands nervously.

So much had happened to her in a relatively short amount of time. She already missed Scotty and Sophie, who were surely sitting on the living room couch, playing Call of Duty or something of the like.

Tomorrow she would be meeting her new boss. Saying she was anxious would be an understatement. She had dealt with her anxiety since the end of her junior year at college. The panic attacks had worsened when she became a senior and dealt with the biggest changes of her life. This situation was a big step and change from her “old” life, but she would try her hardest to work around it to do her best at her job. 

Breaking from her trance, she unzipped her suitcase and began to unpack and organize her clothing. After that, she wasn’t sure what she would do. London was an awfully big city with lots to do, but she wasn’t about to go exploring on her own. Maybe Lauren would go with her. 

With a sigh, she sprawled out on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so terrifying after all.


	3. Chapter 3

Holly typically didn’t take too much time in getting ready in the morning and today was no different; she showered, pulled on her lacy green dress, her nude tights, flats, and sweater, threw on the minimal amount of makeup, and dashed out the door to meet Lauren for breakfast.

Her red curls swished and bounced as she headed for the elevator, her bag slung over her shoulder. Pressing the down button, she leaned up against the wall and pulled her phone from her sweater pocket to check her email. Mindlessly scrolling, she ignored the footsteps approaching her, sweeping her long red curls over her shoulder.

The owner of the footsteps cleared his throat and waited just behind her patiently as the door opened with a high-pitched “bing!” Putting her phone in her sweater pocket, she stepped into the elevator and pressed the ground floor button. When she looked at the man beside her, she was struck with realization.

Cleanly-shaven and muscly in his much-too-small shirt stood Chris Evans. When he felt her eyes on him, he smiled with a soft “hi.” But before she could react, he had stepped out into the lobby and headed for the exit. Stunned and a bit embarrassed, Holly high-tailed it for the restaurant connected to the lobby.

Lauren was already seated and beamed up at her as she approached the table. Her smile fell as she took in Holly’s flustered state. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Oh my God. I’m so embarrassed.” Holly groaned, burying her face in her hands.

“Why?! What happened?” Lauren repeated.

“I saw Chris in the elevator.” 

“Evans?”

“Yes!”

Lauren went from worried to amused in a heartbeat.

“What did you say to him?”

“Nothing.” Holly groaned. “He’s going to be think I’m the biggest creep when I meet him.”

“Well you didn’t gawk at him, did you?” Lauren asked, pouring Holly a cup of coffee.

“Ohhh yeah I did.” Holly groaned again.

“It’ll be fine… act like it never happened.” 

“What if he brings it up?”

“Just go with the flow. You’ll be fine. Besides, he was probably gawking at you too, Cutie Pie. You’re adorable.”

Holly flushed bright red, fiddling with her sweater. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Now, let’s eat.”

Holly had wished the breakfast would go slowly, but it didn’t. Before she knew it they were in a cab headed to set.

How would he even react?

“We’re here.” Lauren said quietly, smiling reassuringly at Holly. With a deep breath, she stepped out of the cab. They walked side-by-side towards the guarded trailer area, flashing their PA passes. “Hey, you’re going to be fine, okay? From what I’ve heard, he’s super chill and just a great guy.” Nodding and smiling, they stepped into the assistants’ trailer. They received their instructions to each trailer and their schedules for the rest of the week and were sent on their way.

Lauren, who learned that she would be working with Chris Hemsworth, led them to the group of actor’s trailers. Before they could knock on the trailer doors, the Chrises rode up on a golf cart, laughing together. Holly took a few deep breaths and willed the embarrassed blush from her cheeks.

Chris Hemsworth was quick to sober, grinning at the two women. Lauren and Holly smiled back and Lauren went to introduce herself. Chris Evans smiled at the redhead knowingly, stepping closer to her.

“You must be Holly.” He said, holding his hand out.

“I am. You must be Chris.” She presumed, shaking his hand.

“I wish we could have known all this this morning in the elevator.” He teased as he unlocked the trailer door and held it open for her. Clambering into the trailer, she cursed her awkwardness in her head.

“Yeah,” she laughed nervously, turning towards him as he shut the door.

“So… uh…” he rubbed the back of his neck, looking around. “I’m not that great at telling you what you have to do… so…”

“That’s okay. I have your schedule, so you can just tell me what you need and when.” Holly said, pulling a pen out of her bag. She was starting to feel much more comfortably, visibly relaxing.

“Please, have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

“A water would be great, please.” She said, writing her phone number on a piece of paper for Chris while he dug around in the fridge.

“So, where are you from?” he asked, handing her a cold bottle of water and plopping on the couch next to her.

“Originally from Upstate New York… Syracuse area. I went to college near Buffalo. What about you?”

“Boston.” He answered and she laughed quietly.

“I can hear it in your accent.”

“Aw, is it that obvious?”

“To me, but it’s not a bad thing.” She assured him.

“Oh no?” the teasing tone was back as he stretched his arm over the back of the couch. Holly blushed, playing with the page in her notebook. Ripping out the small piece with her phone number, she handed it to him.

“I wasn’t sure if they gave you my number or not.” She said, closing her notebook.

“They didn’t. Thank you.”

“It doesn’t look like your schedule is too crazy today.” Holly scanned the schedule sheet.

“Nah. Not too bad…” he trailed off, pocketing her number. “How about some lunch?”

“Yeah, of course. What can I get you?”

“No, I mean, do you want to come with me?” he asked, blue eyes sparkling.

“Oh…” she breathed, laughing at her presumptuousness. “Yeah, I would like that.” With a smile, Chris stood and showed her to his driver and the car.


	4. Chapter 4

The warm summer air swirled around Holly’s pale, freckled skin. It had been a few days since she had started working on set.

Chris was quite possibly the best boss she had ever had. He was kind, funny and thoughtful. He paid attention to her and always made sure she was happy. 

They ate lunch together every day, talking about their families, traveling, and just about anything else. Holly smiled to herself as she sat next to Chris on the couch, munching on her chicken fingers.

“What’s that smile for?” he teased playfully, nudging his knee against hers.

“Nothing.” She chuckled, nudging him back. 

“Thinkin’ ‘bout your boyfriend?” he asked, setting his sandwich on its plate.

“I would be if I had one.” She said, glancing over at him. “I’m sure you think about your girlfriend all the time.”

“I would if I had one.” He echoed, standing and heading for the kitchen with a grin on his lips. Holly bit her bottom lip to hide her smile, standing and checking the time on her phone.

“Alright. Time to get back to set.” She said, heading for the door as he trailed behind her with a water bottle and his phone in-hand.

Walking side-by-side in companionable silence, they greeted other cast and crewmembers. When they reached set, they shared a smile and went their separate ways. Spotting Lauren standing off to he side, she headed her way.

“Hey!”

“Hey yourself! How’s it going?” Lauren asked, grinning at her.

“Good! How are you?” Holly replied.

“I’m great.” Lauren blushed, eyes flickering towards a casual Tom Hiddleston, who stood near Joss Whedon in his casual wear. Holly narrowed her eyes with a knowing smile.

“You should go talk to him.” She said quietly, nudging her friend’s arm.

“You’re one to talk.” She scoffed playfully.

“What do you mean?” Holly faltered, catching a glance and smile from Chris across set.

“I see the way you look at him.”

“Who?”

“Oh, you know who.” Lauren chuckled. Hearing her laugh, Tom looked for the source, smiling when their eyes met. Hearing the call for quiet on set, Holly headed away from the action and over to a tent stocked with snacks and water. When she looked where she had been standing just moments before, she witnessed Tom taking her place, quietly shaking Lauren’s hand.

With a small smile, Holly’s eyes left the scene and searched for Chris, finding him acting out a scene with Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr. When they cut, he patted each of their backs and made a beeline for her, his pearly white teeth glinting at her. 

“Hey,” she breathed, grabbing a cold water bottle for him. Taking it with a quiet “thanks,” his eyes shifted towards Tom and Lauren, bringing a small smile to his lips.

“We’re going to the bar… er, I mean… pub… tonight. You should come and bring Lauren.” He said, turning his attention back to her.

“Okay.” Holly’s heart beat eagerly against her chest and she hoped that he couldn’t hear it. Beaming down at her, Chris took his script from her hands and flipped to the next scene they would be shooting.

The day of shooting had been long, but good. Lauren and Tom had talked more throughout the day and he had even driven her to pick lunch up. Holly and Chris had spent most of his breaks together too, choosing to pick up their lunches from catering and eat them in his trailer.

But now Holly and Lauren waited for Chris in the lobby of the hotel, dressed up in their sundresses and cardigans. He appeared just a few moments later, greeting them happily. The pub was just down the street from their hotel, expertly picked by Tom himself.

Holly didn’t notice, but Chris was walking exceptionally close to her, almost enough for their fingers to brush. Lauren snickered to herself, trying to catch Holly’s attention, but they reached the pub too soon. Almost the entire cast was there, cheering when they saw the trio. Tom immediately flocked to Lauren’s side, offering to buy her a drink.

“Take it easy, Tom.” Chris chuckled in Holly’s ear, patting her shoulder. “What do you want to start with?” Her cheeks burned with the physical contact.

“I’m not sure. What are you having?” she asked, sidling closer to him to look at the drink menu. 

“Probably a beer.” He answered, resting his elbows on the bar and leaning into it. Following suit, their shoulders touched and Chris smiled.

“I’d like a beer too, please.” She said, grinning as Chris’s smile widened. Their shoulders stayed touching as he ordered two pints. “So, how long do you think it’ll be before Tom asks Lauren out?”

“Hmm…” he murmured, spinning around to lean his back up against the bar.

“What are you doing?” Holly laughed, taking the pints from the bartender and handing one to the man beside her.

“Nonchalantly spying on them so I can give you an accurate time frame.” He replied, taking a swig of his beer. Laughing, Holly shook her head.

“I bet he’ll ask her by the end of the night.” She nodded, feeling her cheeks flush as Chris rested his arm on the bar behind her.

“I’ll say by the end of the week.”

“Okay.”

“What are we betting?” he asked suddenly, throwing back the rest of his drink.

“Wait, what?”

“You said you wanted to bet… let’s bet.”

“Okay… hmm. If I win, you have to take me out for ice cream.” Holly said, licking her lips at the thought.

“Annnd if I win you have to take me to a movie. Deal?” he said, holding his hand out.

“Deal. Prepare to lose.” Holly laughed, setting her empty glass back on the bar. Motioning for two more pints, Chris shook his head.

“Shall we head back to the group?” he asked, sliding the glass into her empty hands. When she nodded, his hand rested on her lower back to urged her towards the group. Holly bit her bottom lip to hide her smile, trying her best to not read too much into anything that he did.

Almost immediately, Scarlett swept her up into conversation with Cobie Smulders. She had always thought that she would be nervous to talk to celebrities but she knew deep down that they were normal people too.

Occasionally, she would look over to Tom and Lauren, who were talking with the larger group, a permenant pink stain on Lauren’s cheek. Then, Chris would catch her gaze, smiling happily at her and bashfully looking away.

It didn’t take long for the alcohol to hit her because the group soon hit the dance floor. It seemed like everything had gone so fast; the more she drank, the more she danced.

The guys joined them, Chris trotting over to her and taking her hand, spinning her around. She laughed and allowed him to pull her closer, arm settling around her waist. Her hands rested on his strong, muscular chest as she peered up at him. He swayed her back and forth, studying her for a moment.

“How much have you had?” he asked, reaching up to brush a stray curl from her eyes.

“Uhm… I’m not sure.” She answered sheepishly.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” He furrowed his eyebrows at what he had said, stuttering, “I mean… I’ll walk you back to the hotel…”

“Yeah… I think I’m ready to go.” She replied, feeling his arm drop from around her. They said their goodbyes and then weaved their way out of the pub, her hand in his comfortably.

The cooler London air countered the heat of the pub, bringing Holly back to a more comfortable temperature. They didn’t really talk, but held hands in comfortable silence as they walked. Holly did her best to not trip, hoping she didn’t seem as tipsy as she felt. Chris didn’t seem to care, even if she was.

He only released her hand when he opened the door to the hotel for her. They walked to their rooms together. “Do you… do you want to come in for a little while?” she asked hesitantly, staring at her hands that clutched the room key. After a few passing moments, he cleared his throat.

“Sure.”

He was so nonchalant, smiling down at her. With a deep breath, she slid the key through the door and pushed it open, letting him follow her. Holly’s tired, shaky legs just about gave out as she plopped onto the bed.

Chuckling, Chris took his jacket and shoes off, crawling onto the bed beside her and laying on his side, facing her. She smiled, head lolling towards his.

“Thank you for inviting me tonight.” She said quietly with a sleepy smile. 

“You’re welcome to come with us anytime, Hol.” He replied, brushing her hair from her face.

“Mmm…”

And with that, she fell into a deep, restful sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chris’s eyes opened to find her sleeping, her shoulder rising and falling with her even breaths. Her red hair was splayed across the pillow beautifully. Her hand was close to him, fingers curled into her palm. Smiling to himself, he scooted closer and kissed her fingertips. A small smile caressed her lips and she wiggled closer to him, her fingers tightening around his shirt. Her forehead rested against his collarbone. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close, pulling the blanket over her.

“Chris,” she sighed, throwing her arm over him.   
  
“Hol,” he murmured in reply, smiling happily as she nuzzled his collarbone with her nose. “It’s time to get up. We have to head to set soon.”

“Hmmm?” she groaned.

“It’s time to get up.” He repeated, gently brushing her hair back.

“10 more minutes.” She smiled, burying her nose into his shirt.

“How about you jump in the shower and I’ll do the same and we can grab breakfast before work?”

“I like that idea.” She confessed, eyes opening slowly.   
  
“Hi.” He grinned.  
  
“Hi.” Holly replied quietly, blushing.

“Okay. I’m going to get up and we’re going to go, okay?”

“Yeah.” She smiled, eyes fluttering closed as he kissed her forehead and jumped out of the bed.

“I’ll text you when I’m ready for a status update.”

“Okay.” She said, slowly rolling out of bed and following him to the door. Throwing her one more smile, he closed the door behind him and headed for his own room. 

As she turned the water on, she did the worse thing she could possibly do… think.

He had kissed her forehead. What did that mean? He had stayed all night. Did he want to be with her?  
  
Sighing, she stripped down to her bare skin and stepped into the warm shower. Taking a few deep breaths, she began to wash up.

Holly had struggled with anxiety since college and when she found herself overwhelmed, she tended to trigger panic attacks. It happened especially when she was put into romantic situations. Chris had been an exception until now.   
  
Being in a relationship with him could jeopardize her job with Disney and risk being able to find another one. But he was the first man in forever that had caught her attention and had reciprocated in some way. He was so sweet and kind and attentive.

Taking a few more deep breaths, she was able to calm herself down and finish her shower, dressing quickly and checking her phone to find a text from him.

_Hey. They had to shift the schedule around for whatever reason, so text me when you’re ready and we can head to set. Rain check on breakfast?_

Though a bit disappointed, she understood and smiled happily.

_Hey. I’m ready. I’ll grab us some stuff from catering while you’re in makeup. Definitely a rain check on breakfast. :)_ _  
_

She received a smiley face in reply and then a knock on her door.

Quickly, she shuffled all her things into her bag and pocketed her phone and room key. When she opened the door, she found him leaning up against the wall, baseball cap on his head and his wallet and phone in his big hand. Passing each other wide grins, they headed for the elevator.

“Sorry again about breakfast.” He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s okay, Chris. Really.” She smiled. He took her hand and squeezed it before the elevator doors opened. Holly followed him to the car, letting him open the door for her and slide in first. “So, when we get to set, what do you want me to grab for you for breakfast?”

“Hmmm… as much protein and coffee as possible, please.” He answered, turning towards her. “Make sure you get something for yourself, too.”   
  
“Oh, don’t you worry.” She laughed, holding her stomach as it growled.

Holly couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she trudged through the sea of trailers, two coffees nestled into a carrier and balancing a cardboard tray with her other hand. Robert Downey Jr. held the door open for her, winking. She said her thanks and went straight to Chris, grinning.

“Coffee,” she sang, setting it into his waiting hand. His eyes still closed, he smiled at the sound of her voice.

“Hey Holly,” His makeup artist smiled as she worked away.   
  
“Hey Lexi, how’s it gong?”

“Pretty well. We’re a little bit behind schedule, though.” She said, closing up her makeup kit. “Can you have him eat quickly while I get the wig on?” 

“Hey, I’m still here!” Chris said, finally opening his eyes. Holly laughed, taking his coffee and replacing it with his plate. Leaning against the counter in front of him, she began to eat.

Soon, they were making their daily walk to set, talking and laughing as they told stories about pranks they had played on their brothers.

“All right, Cap.” She said, taking his coffee from him once again. “Go make the country proud.”   
  
“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned, saluting her. “Stay out of trouble.”

“I won’t.” she laughed, earning a chuckle from her boss.

As he walked away, her heart fluttered more than it ever had before. Her cheeks heated and she bit her bottom lip to hide her smile.   
  
She was definitely falling for him. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chris smiled to himself as he walked away, looking down at his feet and rubbing the sweat from the back of his neck. At first, he had considered himself lucky that he had been paired with Holly because she was so understanding and attentive to his needs, which was almost all he asked for when it came to assistants. But he noted other things about her as they grew closer; the way she threw her head back when she laughed, how she wrung her hands when she got a little bit anxious, how she had buried her face into his shirt that morning in her room.

He looked over his shoulder to find her chatting with a few of the personal assistants animatedly. Feeling a gaze on her, she turned to look at him, smiling and blushing adorably. Chris wanted to kiss that little grin right off her lips. Righting himself, he quite literally ran into Scarlett, who winked at him.

“It’s just a matter of time.” She sang. “And you couldn’t pick a better girl. She’s a sweetheart.”

“Alright, alright. How many of you are conspiring against me?” he grumbled, kicking the grass.

“Um… maybe all of us and a few of the assistants. Oh, and Tom.”

“Great.” Chris chuckled breathlessly, shaking his head.

“Not to sound too much like the Widow, but you should probably ask her out. She’ll say yes.” With that, Scarlett strode off with Jeremy. It was then that Chris made his executive decision to ask her on a date, considering he owed her breakfast anyway. Since it was a short day of shooting for him, he would ask her if they could do it as early as tonight. He didn’t want to get cold feet. He knew there was an age difference and he knew that she had a professional face to keep up, but he couldn’t help it. They had the potential to be so much more.

Holly beat Chris back to his trailer for lunch, sliding the two plates from catering onto the table and setting up their utensils with a cold bottle of water for him. She grabbed a fresh towel out of the closet for him, knowing that he would need to sop up some of the sweat from below the Cap uniform. The door of the trailer opened and closed accompanied by a quiet sigh.

“Hol?” he called out, peeking around the corner as he unzipped the front of the uniform and pulled it down around his hips.

“Here!” she called back, smiling at him. “Towel?”

“Yes please. Actually, grab me a couple of them.”

“Yeah. You look a little gross.” She teased him, handing two towels to him as she passed him. Chris only chuckled, glad that she was busting on him a little bit. “The day is almost over. How has everything gone so far?” she asked, motioning to their lunch.

“Good, good.” He nodded, digging into his spaghetti and meatballs. “What about you?”

“It’s been good. I was able to call my brother quickly to check on him and Sophie.” She spoke quietly, happily, her smile evident in her voice.

“How are they?” Chris asked, looking up at her.

“They’re good.” She answered, shrugging. “I miss not being home with them.”

“I’m sure. I missed East all the time when I was away from him and I miss my family every time I have to leave them.” He said quietly, reaching over to take her hand gently, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles. Holly looked up, a bit startled at the sudden contact, but when he began to pull away, thinking that his touch was unwelcome, she merely flipped his hand over and took it in hers. They smiled at each other for a moment then looked down at their plates, laughing nervously.

“Chris-“

“I’ve been thinking-“

“You go first.” Holly laughed once more, brushing her hair out of her face as she blushed.

“I’ve been thinking lately that maybe we should consider… maybe… I don’t know…” he trailed off, propping his head on his hand. “Maybe spending more time together.”

“I agree.” She assured him, pairing her words with a nod.

“Maybe… going out on dates?” he suggested, smiling as she nodded again.

“I would like that a lot.”

“Great.” He breathed.

“Great.” Holly echoed, releasing his hand to trace the lines on his palm, focusing on the heartline.

“So, tonight?” he broke the silence once more, using his free hand to shovel another forkful of pasta into his mouth.

“Oh, I don’t know… my schedule looks pretty full…” she deadpanned, biting her bottom lip to keep from grinning.

“I’ll come get you at 7. He stuck his tongue out, threading their fingers once more.


	7. Chapter 7

Chris showed up five minutes early, just as she would have, knocking on her door and leaning against the wall. The door opened seconds later and there was his redheaded beauty.

“Hi.” Holly said shyly, blushing as he held out his hand to her. She took it and allowed him to pull her into a hug.

“Hey.” His voice rumbled against his chest as she listened to his heartbeat. She took a deep breath and blew all of the air from her lungs, relaxing into his arms. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She pulled back to look at him, squeezing his forearms.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes. Let me just grab my coat.” She said, swiping it from the bed and pulling it on over her blouse and cardigan. Chris grinned and held out his hand again, lacing their fingers and leading her to the door. They walked side-by-side out of the hotel, Holly allowing him to lead. She was quiet at first as they walked along, admiring the nightlife of London. Finally, she broke her silence as they turned down a new street. “Where are we going?”

“Well, I’m going to take you to get pizza.” He started, making sure they weren’t going to get hit by a car. “And then I have a surprise.”

“A surprise?” she asked, smiling to herself as he tugged her closer by the hand. Chris laughed, squeezing her hand subconsciously. 

“Yes. But first,” he said, holding the door open for her and leading her inside with a hand on the small of her back. Holly smiled up at him as his arm slid around her waist. The scent of pizza flooded her senses and her mouth began to water. “What kind of pizza would you like?”

“Hmm,” she murmured, looping her arm around his lower back and resting her hand on his hip. “I’m not picky. Surprise me.” Taking a moment, she admired the way that his arm felt draped around her waist, how she felt tucked against the side of his body. He ordered a pepperoni and cheese pizza, his thumb caressing her hipbone through her sweater.

“I know I’m boring.” He said, referencing his pizza choice. Holly shook her head quickly.

“There’s nothing wrong with simplicity… pepperoni and cheese is perfect.” She assured him. Chris smiled, leading her over to a table to sit down. He pulled the chair out for her and then sat in his own. Holly crossed her legs with a quiet ‘thank you.’

“So…” he trailed off, nervously fiddling with a napkin. “Tell me about you. How did you get here?“ 

“Chris, we’ve already talked about that.” She chuckled, fiddling with her fingers.

“I know, but I like listening to you talk.”

She began to tell him about growing up in Upstate New York, in one of the most rural parts of the state. She told him about getting her undergraduate degree in public relations from the same school that her parents met at. She told him about her divorced parents, her brother, and her dog. By the time she had finished, she noticed he was watching her intently, a smile on his lips.

“What?” she laughed nervously as he stood up and rounded the table. Wordlessly, he bent down and cupped her cheek, waiting only a beat before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. Her heart fluttered wildly and she could feel a sweat break out on her forehead, making her flush in embarrassment. When he pulled away, her eyes shot open. “Was I rambling?” she asked quietly, earning a chuckle.

“Only in the best way possible. I’d like to hear you ramble more often.” He reassured her, plopping back down into his seat.

“Oh.” She responded dumbly. Chris chuckled again.

Dinner was quick… or seemed quick. Chris told her everything that she wanted to know. He was sweet and funny. He cared about his family. He loved Disney. He loved dogs. He wanted kids. He wanted to get married. He believed in love.

In short, he was the most ideal man that a man could be.

“Are you ready for the next part of our date?” he asked, slapping the money down on the table and holding his hand out. She nodded eagerly, taking his hand and following. They walked a few blocks, talking about Los Angeles and where they lived. His fingers tightened around hers when a few people bumped into him. Her free hand moved to his forearm, pulling him closer to her.

Chris’ lips upturned into a small smile and he placed a quick peck on her lips. They walked a few more blocks and turned down a street until they had a view of the Thames. “Here we are.” he breathed, watching for her reaction.

The London Eye stood tall and proud, glowing a beautiful blue and reflecting off the murky water of the Thames. Holly’s jaw dropped and she stepped closer instinctively, resting her head on his shoulder.

“It’s beautiful.” She said, grinning excitedly up at him.

“Are you afraid of heights?” he asked.

“A little bit, but I’ll be okay.”

Chris pulled her to the ticket office, handing him the paperwork he had signed to reserve their own capsule. They boarded almost immediately and were handed glasses of champagne. Holly kept ahold of Chris’s hand as she went to the end of the capsule that overlooked Big Ben and Parliament. He watched happily, releasing her hand and standing behind her, resting his chin on top of her head.

“Chris, this is amazing.” She said quietly, pulling him to stand next to her so she could hug him and enjoy the sights from above. His heartbeat soothed her and made her forget all about everything just for a moment. It was just the two of them and London- one of the most beautiful cities on the planet.

Her cheek rubbed against the soft cotton of his shirt and she sighed happily, squeezing her arms around his waist. She felt his nose nuzzle into her hair and then his lips place a gentle kiss on the crown of her head.

Their host interrupted just briefly to bring them a plate of chocolates, setting them on a table just off to the side. They both expressed their thanks and went back to each other, kissing and sipping their champagne. 

“Don’t you want some chocolate?” Holly asked quietly, reaching over to take one off the plate.

“Nah, I’m not a big chocolate guy.” He said, taking one to feed to her.

“Mmm. Well, I am.” She grinned. “In fact, I may eat the whole thing.”

“I would pay to see that.”

“Stick around and you won’t have to.” She winked, popping another in her mouth.

When the tour was over, the couple hopped on the Tube and rode it back to their hotel, leaning tiredly on each other.

Holly sauntered down the hallway with Chris, her hand in his. “I had a lot of fun tonight.” She said quietly, stealing a glance at him as he smiled down at her.

“Me too, Hol.” He looped his arm around her waist and she pressed herself against his side. Chris pressed his forehead against hers, gathering her into his arms. Her fingers tightened around the soft fabric of his shirt at his chest as she pulled herself closer to him. His eyes stayed trained on her lips until he finally dipped his head, catching her lips with his. Holly gasped, arms gently circling the back of his neck and tugging him as close as possible. His hands ran up her back, beneath her jacket. They both smiled into the kiss and Chris pushed her back against the wall. Her fingers ran through his short, soft, slicked back hair. “Do you want to come in?” he breathed, pulling back just slightly to caress his thumb over her cheek. Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she took deep, sobering breaths.

“I would love to, but… I think it’s best if I don’t.” she whispered, reaching up to gently brush a loose lock of hair from his face. Chris smiled in understanding, kissing her forehead and squeezing her hips.

“Then I’ll see you in the morning?” he asked, clearing his throat.

“Most definitely.” She whispered, rolling onto her tippy toes to kiss him once more. “Goodnight, Chris.”

“’Night, Hol.” He murmured, squeezing her hand as they separated and unlocked their designated doors. Holly smiled at him as she closed the door, her face flushing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your sweet comments. I'm so glad that you're enjoying Chris and Holly as much as I am! :)

Holly woke up the next morning with a smile plastered to her face; her skin glowing and her eyes sparkling. She rushed through her morning routine and met Chris in the makeup trailer as per usual with their breakfast burritos and coffee.

“Good morning,” she sang happily, setting his plate on the table and handing him his coffee.

“Hey.” He said shortly, straight-faced with barely any eye contact. Her fluttering, wildly beating heart sank and slowed and her face fell. Her grin slipped from her lips.

After standing awkwardly off to the side in silence for a few minutes, she scooped up her breakfast and headed out the door. Out of place and lost, she shuffled along to the catering tent, finding herself a seat and plopping into it dejectedly.

She swam through her thoughts, struggling to understand why he would act the way that he did, especially after the night before. The more and more she thought, the larger the waves of anxiety jostled her brain until she began to slip beneath them, the air knocked from her lungs. She did the only thing that she could thing of- she ran.

She left her uneaten breakfast on the catering table and bolted for Chris’s trailer. Part of her wished that he would be there so that they could hash out any problems that they had. And he was there… but he wouldn’t even look at her when she opened the door.

“Okay. I don’t know what’s going on, Chris. And I understand th-that… that we don’t want to bring our problems to work. I get that and-and I agree… but, Chris. I can’t do this.” She said the words hanging into the air with his silence. “I can’t do this. What have I done wrong?” she breathed, her tears finally falling. He still refused to look at her, blue eyes focused on the water bottle in his hands. Clearing her throat, she picked her bag up off the floor and turned away from him. “Could I have the rest of the day off, Mr. Evans?” 

She could feel him cringe at her cold address, but kept his eyes on the bottle. “Yes.”

Holly hurried out the door, letting the tears fall freely from her sad brown eyes.

—

Once she was safely back at the hotel, Holly curled up on her hotel bed and sipped her hot chamomile tea, taking deep breaths and staring at the black screen of the television.

She did her best to clear her mind, knowing that think about everything would only cause her more stress. Knowing the only way to truly clear her mind was physical activity, she changed into leggings and her oversized Walt Disney World sweatshirt and began a basic sun salutation, stretching her muscles and breathing deeply. With each exhalation, she could feel the pain and frustration leaving her body… that was, until she heard a knock on her door.

Hesitantly, she brought herself out of cobra pose and padded over to the doorway. Through the peephole, she saw Lauren, who had a paper bag in her arms. Holly opened the door, almost bursting into tears.

“Oh, Hol. Hemsworth saw you leave Evans’s trailer and gave me the rest of the day off to help you feel better.” She explained, closing the door behind her. “I brought you some stuff to help you relax, but I want you to tell me what happened first. How’s your anxiety?”

“It’s okay. I just did some yoga and it helped, but it’s still there.” She answered quietly, picking at a loose spot of cotton on her sweatshirt. Lauren nodded and then Holly explained everything to her.

The more she explained, the more she felt herself dipping below the surface of the waves again until she was shaking and tears were streaming down her face. Lauren held her silently, knowing that she could only coach her to take deep breaths.

Everything happened in a blur. There was another knock at the door and Lauren got up to answer it just as Holly began to hyperventilate, holding her head in her hands.

Then he was there, murmuring her name and pulling her into his arms. “I’m so sorry. I’m here. Deep breaths.” She clung to him, burying her face into his neck. There was no time to be mad at him; she needed to pull herself out of this attack.

Chris knew the signs well from his experiences with panic attacks and knowing that he had caused this killed him. 

Shakily, her breaths began to return to normal and she sniffled, bringing her face from his neck and making the move to get off the bed. “What do you need, Hol? I’ll grab it.”

“Tissues, please.” She answered, sinking back onto the bed and pulling a pillow into her lap as he retrieved the box for her. Chris hesitantly slid back onto the bed, setting the box between them. Holly kept her eyes trained on the bedspread as she wiped the tears away and blew her nose. 

After a few minutes, his hand found hers and she allowed him to take it. “I’m really sorry for earlier.” He said quietly, staring at the top of her head. “I started thinking about us last night and how we work together and our age difference and I overwhelmed myself. I never meant to hurt you.”

“If you don’t want to be with me, I-“

“No. I do want to be with you. I want to be with you more than anything.” He whispered, holding both sides of her neck so he could stare into her eyes. “I don’t want you to go. I want you to stay. I want to stay.” Silence hung in the air as her eyes searched his. “It’s just that you’re 23 and you have your whole life ahead of you. Why would you want to date someone who is looking to settle down, like me?”

“Because you’re you, Chris. I don’t have any interest in partying or one night stands. I want long term.” She assured him, her hands holding his wrists. He smiled, looking down at the bedspread. “I don’t care about age. It’s a number.” The silence hung in the air again until he spoke.

“After being a prick, I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to cut it off.”

“I don’t.” she shook her head, leaning down to catch his gaze. “I’ve had a lot of fun with you and I want more.”

“I want more too.” He confessed quietly, thumbs stroking her cheeks. Holly rolled to her knees and kissed him gently, running her fingers through his hair. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. When they came up for air, Chris pressed his forehead to hers. “How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?” 

“I’m okay.” She answered honestly. “I’ll be better tomorrow.” Nodding, he bit the inside of his cheek.

“I have to get back to set, but I want to be with you tonight. Can I stay with you?” 

“Yeah, of course.” She answered, smiling as he got up and kissed her forehead.

“If you need anything, call me.” He murmured, kissing her lips sweetly. “I’ll see you when I get back.”

Holly curled up in the bed and allowed sleep to help her recover, drifting into a dreamless state.


	9. Chapter 9

Chris kept true to his promise, showing up at her door not long after shooting was over with a bag of McDonald’s and a few DVDs. He had just showered, his hair still damp and slicked back out of his face. His sweatpants hung low on his hips and his blue tee shirt was soft when she hugged him tightly. Kissing the top of her head, he pulled back to look at her, smiling happily.

“I’m so glad you’re back.” She whispered, leaning into is lips as he kissed her forehead. He made a small noise of agreement in the back of his throat.

“I brought dinner and entertainment.” His smile widened as she rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him.

“You’re my entertainment.”

Chris finally leaned down to kiss her, squeezing her close to him. Sighing happily into his mouth, she tightened her arms around him. He set the bags on the dresser behind her and led her back to the bed. The back of her knees hit the edge and he carefully lowered her onto it, his hand running up and down her side. He hovered over her, dipping down to kiss the corner of her mouth.

“Can I tell you something?” she said, looking away just momentarily.

“Of course.” He whispered, cupping her cheek and running his thumb over her lower lip.

“I… um… well,” she blushed, fingers tracing the lines on his tee shirt. “I’m a virgin.” She blurted, squeezing her eyes shut.

“What?! Really?!” he asked, prying her hands away from her face.

“Yes.” She whispered, rolling to her side beneath him to avoid her gaze. Chris followed, lying on his side beside her, sweeping her curls away from her face. He finally caught her embarrassed gaze, bringing their faces close enough that the tips of their noses touched.

“How is that possible? I mean, you’re gorgeous and smart and so fun…” he listed, watching as she bit her bottom lip. Holly shrugged, reaching up to trace his cheekbone. “You’re adorable, you know that?”

“I’ve been told once or twice.” She smiled as he pulled her closer, her leg slung over his thigh.

“But, in all seriousness, we will take everything slow. There’s no need to rush into anything.” He murmured.

“But what about you?” she asked, hand resting on his shoulder. 

“What about me, sweetheart?” he countered, hand slipping beneath her shirt to touch her soft skin.

“Don’t you need…?” she insinuated. Chris chuckled quietly at her innocence, rubbing his nose against hers.

“Just the thought of you is enough. Believe me.” Holly blushed again, burying her face against his chest. “When the time is right and after we talk about it, we’ll make it happen. Believe me. It’ll all be worth it.” He murmured, stroking her hair. “But for now…” He kissed her with everything that he had, hand running down her side and to her bottom, squeezing gently. Holly moaned, both hands moving to his hair, fingers threading through his short blond hair.

No one had ever kissed her like that. She had never felt so passionate about another human being.

His lips moved along hers and she soon felt his tongue sliding along her bottom lip, asking silently for entrance. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth and let him in. Chris moaned deeply, tugging her as close as possible, rolling to his back and pulling her on top of him. He coaxed the little sounds out of her, his hands settling on her thighs. He started to slow the two of them down, placing a peck on each cheek and then one more on her lips.

“I bet our food is getting cold.” She said, smiling as she reluctantly climbed off of him. Chris crawled up to the top of the bed, leaning against the headboard and grinning as she brought the bag over with a few sodas from the refrigerator. They sat side-by-side, watching television and munching on their burgers and fries happily. “You know what we should do?”

“Hmm?” he mumbled through his mouthful of fries, rolling his shoulders uncomfortably.

“We should go get in the hot tub.” She suggested, tracing circles on his thigh. Chris’s eyes widened and he nodded eagerly, jumping off the bed and throwing out the empty McDonald’s bag.

“I’m going to go grab my trunks. You go ahead and change.” He clapped his hands together and flitted out the door. Holly laughed to herself, digging through her drawers to find her suit. She pulled out her red and black high waisted two-piece and quickly changed into it, pulling a flannel shirt over it. Chris was back within five minutes, trunks pulled on and the same shirt he was wearing still covering his chest. Holly slipped his hand into his and smiled as he spun her around, admiring her bathing suit.

“You look… so hot.” He grinned cheekily, pulling her into a kiss.

“You don’t look half bad yourself, Evans.” She teased, poking his stomach. They headed to the elevator and down to the pool area, eagerly slipping into the warm bubbling water and sitting side-by-side. Chris sighed happily, resting his hand on her thigh and leaning back against the jets.

“Man, you never realize how hard those fight sequences are on your body until you do them 10 times over.” He mumbled and Holly chuckled, closing her eyes and resting her head against his bare shoulder.

“Rough day?” she asked quietly, looking up at him.

“It was until I came back to you.” He replied, smiling and kissing the tip of her nose.

“You’re too sweet.” She whispered, pressing her lips to his sweetly.

“Mmm, well I was an asshole this morning, so being sweet to you is the least I could do.”

“Are you implying that you’re going to stop being sweet to me after today?”

“Oh God no. You just wait, sweetheart.” He winked, squeezing her thigh.


	10. Chapter 10

“Regardless, I prefer to have a beard.” Chris told Holly as they walked along the bank of the Thames hand-in-hand.

“Me too.” She teased, laughing at her own joke. Rolling his eyes with a chuckle, he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “But in all seriousness, I bet you look amazing with a beard.”

“I don’t look amazing now?” he pouted, swinging their hands back and forth.

“Meh. You’re okay.” Holly laughed, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and rolling onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “I’ll tell you a secret though…” she trailed off, whispering into his ear. “You’re by far the most wonderful and attractive man I have ever met.”

“You think so?” he said quietly as she pulled back to see his pink cheeks. Holly nodded, kissing him again. Chris wrapped his arms tightly around her, grinning like the Cheshire cat. “How would you feel about getting ice cream?“

“I would love to.” She said as they turned back to the task at hand, sauntering down the sidewalk. “Oh, I forgot to tell you… both of us lost the bet we made on Lauren and Tom. He asked her out today.”

“Hmm. It was only a matter time.” He said. “This is what we should do: I will take you out for ice cream, which was my half of the bargain and then you can take me to the movies for a date night another night.”

“Sounds good to me. Are you going to let me pay?”

“Yeah, I’ll let you pay this time.” he grumbled. Holly held his hand in both of hers and kissed his shoulder, resting her cheek against it and smiling up at him. “Are you ever not adorable?”

“Nope.” Her smile widened into a grin and she tugged him towards the ice cream stand. They each ordered a simple flavor and headed back towards their hotel, refusing to release each other’s hands. Once she finished her cone, she turned to him with a grin.

“Do you want to stay in my room with me tonight?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her into his side.

“Yeah. Your bed is really comfy.” She said sheepishly, wrapping both arms around his waist as they entered the lobby.

“All right. Let’s stop at your room and grab your stuff and then we’ll head to mine.” He grinned, kissing her forehead.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to FaceTime my brother and Sophie. Do you want to do that with me once we get all settled in?” she asked, biting her bottom lip. “If not, I can just do it before I come to your room.”

“No, I ‘d love to meet Scott and Sophie.” He assured her. Holly wordlessly leaned up and kissed him for how wonderful he was.

After grabbing her stuff, they headed to his room. They were quick to change into their pajamas and cuddle up on the bed. Holly pulled her iPad out of her overnight bag and pulled up FaceTime, tapping on her brother’s contact information.

Chris could feel her excitement radiating off of her. He tightened his arms around her waist and she leaned back into him, resting her arm that held the iPad on his knee as he propped it up beside her.

The call connected and Holly practically bounced out of his lap as Scott and Sophie popped up on the screen.

“Hey sis, oh…” Scott trailed off, seeing Chris’s smiling face beside Holly’s. “Uh, you have something to tell me?”

“Well…” she licked her lips nervously, holding the hand at her waist.

“Hey, man. I’m Chris. I’d shake your hand, but uh…” he chuckled… nervously? Holly looked back at him with a small smile.

“Hi Soph,” she cooed, earning a bark. “How has everything been going?”

“Good. We’re just about out of all those casseroles you froze for us, though.” He pouted.

“Well, you know where the recipe book is and we both know you can cook. Those casseroles are really fast and easy.” Holly told him. “I’ll be home in a month and then I can cook for you again.”

Chris’s heart sank in realization. That last month would go by so quickly and then what would happen? He had a house in Los Angeles, but he preferred to stay at his house in Boston where he could be closer to his family.

But he loved her.

The wind was knocked from his lungs as he thought of even leaving her in L.A. while he went home. He had told his family all about her and he couldn’t wait to bring her home, but that wouldn’t happen if she had to go back to L.A. and get a job and take care of her brother and Sophie.

He buried his face into her neck and took deep breaths, forgetting all about the FaceTime call going on in front of him. Her hand came back to brush over the back of his head.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered, spinning to kneel in between his legs. The FaceTime call was over. She stared into his eyes, cupping his cheeks.

“I’m just… thinking.” He said quietly, running his hand over her hair.

“About what?” she asked, pressing her forehead to his.

“Us.” He confessed. Holly sat speechless, waiting for him to continue. “I didn’t realize that we only had a month left.”

“Yeah.” She responded, “But we’re going to be okay, right?” 

“Of course,” he murmured, hugging her to his chest tightly. “Of course.”

“I know you want to go straight to Boston to see your family. We’ll work everything out. Don’t worry.”

Chris nodded, happy that she reassured him and made him feel infinitely better. Relief washed over him and he rested his forehead against her collarbone, sighing with contentment.

“Let’s go to sleep.” She whispered, running her fingers through his hair and kissing the top of his head. He nodded, letting her lie him down and tuck him in, curling up against him.


	11. Chapter 11

Shooting was headed for a close and the tension could be felt in all relationships on set, no matter if it was a friendly or a romantic. Everyone had been quite sullen and the air was heavy with melancholy. The actor and his assistant spent many nights out and about in London and curling up in his bed, but an unspoken question dangled in the air. 

Holly opened the door to find Chris pacing and rubbing the back of his head with frustration. “Chris?” she asked quietly, taking each stair carefully and closing the door behind her. His blue eyes settled on her and she shivered. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s going on between us?” he countered, taking her hands abruptly.

“What do you mean?” she turned away, pulling her hands from his and heading back towards the bedroom.

“That, Holly.” He said, following. “You always shy away from me these days. What’s going on?“ 

“Chris,” she whispered, turning back towards him.

“What is it?” he murmured, cupping her cheeks in both hands. For once, she leaned into him, pressing her forehead to his strong chest. “What is it?”

“I’m not ready to leave.” She mumbled, her hands clutching his wrists. “I’m not ready to go back to L.A. and that scares me.” Frowning, Chris tipped her face up to his, his thumb catching her chin. “When I came here… I-I didn’t expect to be as happy as I am… it’s a new kind of happiness…” she paused, “I feel… complete.”

“Oh…” he breathed, wiping a few stray tears away with his thumb.

“What are we going to-“

“I love you.” Chris said, his blue eyes wide and waiting for her reaction. Her eyes widened and her lips parted in disbelief. “I have never, ever felt the way that I do when I’m with you. It’s the same feeling I get when I can get away from everything… when-when I’m standing at the base of a waterfall or in the morning when I’m at home in Boston and I stand watching the leaves fall in my backyard while drinking a cup of coffee.” He paused as a tear dripped from his eye and pooled beneath hers. “I’ve never wanted to share my life more with someone.” 

“Chris,” she whimpered, her hands squeezing his wrists.

“I know your life is in L.A. and I know you can’t just up and leave your brother… but I want to stay with you.” He murmured. “It’ll be hard, but we can work it out.” Holly nodded, falling into him and holding him close.

“I love you, Chris.”

“We will work this all out.” He said, muffled by her hair. She nodded again. “What are your plans as far as jobs go?”

“Well, I’m waiting to hear from Disney to see if they found a position for me while I was gone. But if they don’t, I was thinking about maybe finding a publicist job and going back to school to get my master’s.” she said quietly, fingers tightening around the soft cotton of his shirt. “I really would like to be a communications professor someday.” Chris lay his cheek upon the top of her head and smiled to himself.

“Well, how about this? You come work as my assistant and the assistant to my publicist, and I will pay you enough so you’re comfortable to go back to school.” She was quiet for a few moments while she processed what he had just said.

“Chris, but what if-“

“Honey, sometimes we shouldn’t think about that what-ifs right away. This is something that would benefit us both. Of course, you won’t travel with me when you have classes. I wouldn’t do that to you.” He said, squeezing her hips gently. “What do you think?”

“Can I think about it a little bit more and get back to you? It’s a lot to process.” She said, finally lifting her head from his chest.

“Of course.” He leaned down to kiss her, pulling her up against his body. “Now, do I have my Holly back? No more shying away?” 

“Your Holly never left. She just got a little bit timid.” Holly assured him. “Now, you have a job to do, so I’m going to let you go.” Chris kept his arms locked around her with a playful grin.

“You’re so much more fun than the job that I have to go do though.” He pouted, nuzzling her cheek with his nose.

“I don’t think Joss would be very happy with me. Besides, I’m going to be here when you get back.” She laughed quietly.

“Promise?” he murmured in her ear.

“I promise. With all my heart.” Holly replied, squeezing his shoulders and kissing his cheek reassuringly.


	12. Chapter 12

Holly hummed to herself as she packed her new suitcase, courtesy of her boyfriend who was sprawled across the bed, snoring quietly. They were leaving London and were headed for Los Angeles that night and he had yet to wake from his nap long enough to pack up his things and get ready to go. What he didn’t know was that she had packed for him and he was set, but she wanted to see the look on his face when she woke him up in time to head to the airport and realization dawned upon his face.

He groaned quietly and rolled over onto his back, reaching out for her as though she were lying beside him. “Come back to bed.” He mumbled, his arm thrown across his eyes, shielding himself from the light.

“Honey, we have to get going soon.” She replied, sliding onto the bed beside him and leaning down to kiss his forehead. He froze, peeking out from under his arm.

“Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack. Get your cute butt up. The car is going to be here in like 20 minutes.” She said nonchalantly, standing to check her phone that was plugged into the wall.

“Fuck, Hol. I haven’t even packed.” He sprung off the bed, running his hands through his hair that was sticking up in all different directions. His beard had started to grow back in, Holly realized as she admired him from across the room. As he spotted his suitcase all zipped up beside hers, he frowned and furrowed his eyebrows, slowly turning back to look at her. “Did you pack for me?”

“Maybe.” She sang, biting the inside of her lip as he sauntered towards her. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he pulled her into his chest and kissed her gently.

“You’re too good to me.” He kissed her again, squeezing her shoulders and running his hands down her sides. “I love you.”

“I love you.” She replied. “Now, let’s make sure we have everything.”

Holly yawned as they loaded their bags back into the car, shoulders slumping tiredly. “You want to have a night at home or come over to my place?” Chris asked, leading the last bag in.

“I think I need a night with Scott and Sophie.” She answered quietly, watching him close the back hatch and dust his hands off. He nodded knowingly, pressing his hand to her lower back and motioning towards the passenger-side door. “If you get lonely tonight, however, you’re more than welcome to come hang out with us.”

“I may just take you up on that.” He murmured, leaning in to kiss her. Holly grinned, picturing the two of them curled up together on the couch with Sophie. She had waited for them to have a totally private domestic moment.

“On second thought, how about you come over and have dinner with us? I’ll cook.” She said, her hands sliding to his elbows to stop him from pulling back. Chris grinned widely, leaning in to kiss her once more.

“I’d love that.” He assured her, running his hand over her hair and stroking his thumb over her cheekbone. “Do you want me to bring anything?”

“Nope. Just yourself. And maybe an overnight bag.” Holly said quietly, smiling suggestively. His eyebrows rose and his eyes widened.

“You mean…”

“Yeah,” she breathed. “Scotty usually goes out with his friends on these nights and I don’t think it’ll be any different with me home.”

They had spent the night together quite a few times but never in the way that she had suggested. She wanted him. Badly.

“What time do you want me to come over?”

“Whenever you’re ready.” She answered quickly, squeezing his hands. Chris smiled reassuringly, kissing her forehead once more.

\----------

Chris arrived at her apartment at 7 p.m. sharp with his overnight bag in one hand and a traditional New York cheesecake in the other. When he knocked, he was met by a brown-haired, brown-eyed young man, who instantly grinned and opened the door wide enough to let him in. 

“Nice to finally meet you, man.” Chris chuckled, setting the cheesecake on the table beside the door and shaking Scott’s hand. Sophie pranced at his feet, tail wagging a mile a minute. She finally got what she was waiting for when he dropped to his knees, allowing her to place wet, sloppy kisses all over his stubbly face. “Hi, Sophie. Where’s your mama, huh?” She whined, nuzzling her cold nose against his shoulder. After a few more moments, he was able to stand back up and follow the dog to Holly’s bedroom.

There she was, sitting at her desk in her oversize blue tee shirt and athletic shorts, her red curls pulled back into a ponytail, while she typed away on her computer. He dropped his bag beside her dresser with an audible “thud,” startling her from her work. Her confused look instantly faded into a smile and she slid out of her chair and into his arms happily. They kissed and her arms would around the back of his neck, pouring everything she had into him. It left them panting, wanting. He rested his forehead against hers with a breathless laugh. They swayed back and forth, her eyes closed in pure bliss.

“We should probably go back out there so Scotty doesn’t get any ideas.” She whispered, finally opening her eyes to look up at him. Agreeing quietly, he tugged on a loose curl and smiled down at her. As she turned to head to the living room, however, he spun her back.

“I want you to know how happy I am that you trust me. It means so much to me, babe.” He whispered, tightening his arms around her.

“I love you.” She whispered in reply, sighing as he focused his lips to her neck. “Oh God, Chris. Not yet.” He grinned against her neck, placing one last kiss below her earlobe and pulling away.

“Okay. Later, though, you’re all mine.”


	13. Chapter 13

The group of three (plus Sophie) had a nice quiet dinner of lasagna, salad, and Italian bread in front of the television after a long day of traveling. Scotty, of course, decided that he was going to go to the bars with his friends, leaving Holly and Chris to clean up the kitchen. He watched from a bar stool at the counter as she washed the last dish and set it in the drying rack, drying the counter and her hands. Sighing to herself, she turned back towards him and threw him a smile, leaning on the counter that separated them.

They both laughed breathlessly after studying each other for a moment. Chris was the first to sober, reaching to take her hand. “Are you ready for bed?” Gulping, she nodded and rounded the counter, letting him follow her to her bedroom. Sophie trotted behind them excitedly at first and then waited at the end of the hall when Chris closed the door behind them, blocking her entrance.

Holly wrung her hands nervously, staring at the bed in anticipation. He advanced her from behind, his hands settling on her shoulders and beginning to rub the stress and tension away. She sighed, allowing herself to melt into him. Running his hands down her arms, he kissed the back of her head and looped his arms around her waist. Her hand reached behind her and squeezed his neck as he pulled the mass of red curls to the side to expose her neck, brushing his soft lips against her skin. Holly spun in his arms and pulled him towards the bed before she could think twice. Laughter filled the room as they fell together into the plush, warm bed. They sobered once again as Chris pressed his hands into the bed on either side of her head, running the tip of his nose along her jawline and planting a kiss just below her earlobe.

Her hands found the hem of his soft cotton shirt, gently tugging it up and over his head. He smiled as she threw it to the side, her hands coming back to touch his chest and slide around to his back. He leaned down once again to kiss her, one hand finding the hem of her oversize shirt and beginning to tug at it, revealing her stomach then her black sports bra.

“I know it’s not sexy, but…” she trailed off quietly, biting her bottom lip.

“It is sexy. Everything about you is cute and sexy.” He growled, pulling the shirt over her head and tracing the top of her sports bra with his tongue. “I want to taste every inch of you.” Holly gasped, threading her fingers through his hair. 

“Chris,” she sighed, lifting her hips as he peeled her leggings from her and threw them to join her shirt. Her fingers shakily found the buttons to his shirt, unbuttoning them one by one and pushing the material from his shoulders. She smiled up at him nervously, her hands finding the button on his jeans. He dipped to press a reassuring kiss to her lips.

“I’m going to take care of you.” He whispered, his fingers playing with the hem of her underwear. “If it hurts, you only have to ask me to stop.” She nodded in understanding, nuzzling her face into his neck. Her underwear came off in one fell swoop and his fingers found her gently. Gasps at the sensation filled the room as Chris coaxed her to her climax. He swept a finger through her folds, testing her wetness. With a groan, he pulled his pants and underwear off, crawling back on top of her. Holly lifted her head to pull her long red tresses from under her shoulders and let them splay around her head, spilling across the pillows. They smiled at each other again, encouraging one another along.

“Oh, one more thing.” He murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead and dashing off the bed to his bag. He slipped a condom onto his erect cock and threw the wrapper into the trashcan before returning to her.

“I appreciate that.” She said quietly, her chest heaving in anticipation.

“Are you ready?” he asked, gently pulling her legs apart. With a nod, she inched down the bed and gripped his forearms. Chris gently pushed into her, closing his eyes and holding his breath. He listened to her moan as she adjusted to the feeling of him inside of her. Her nails dug into his skin and she arched her back towards him, biting her bottom lip. Once he was completely inside of her, he settled on top of her, holding her legs open with his thighs and pressing kissing her gently. As he began to withdraw, Holly wound her arms around his back and squirmed beneath him. His kisses were placed on her cheeks, shoulders, nose, and forehead as he moved inside of her carefully.

“Chris, my God.” She whimpered, arching her body closer to his.

“You feel amazing, Hol. Absolutely amazing.” He breathed, “Fuck.”

“More, please.” He tended to her, winding his arms beneath the arch in her back and burying his face into her neck. Holly held him close, doing her best to breathe.

“I love you.” She whispered, taking his earlobe between her teeth tentatively. Receiving an animalistic groan, she tugged on it and placed a kiss against the side of his head. Chris reached between them and began to trace circles against her clit, panting against her neck.

“I love you.” He murmured, “I’m so close.” Holly cried out and bucked her hips against him as she came, and he followed suit.

After a few moments of them simply panting in each other’s arms, he rolled off of her and discarded the condom. When he returned, he flopped onto the bed beside her and helped her burrow under the covers, up against his chest.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, brushing her hair away from her face and gently squeezing her bare shoulder.

“Yeah. Just a little cold.” She replied, smiling as Chris leaned over her and pulled a clean white tee shirt from his overnight bag. As she donned the cotton that smelled just like him, he pulled a clean pair of boxers on and curled up against her, resting his chin on the top of her head. After a few moments, they fell into a deep, restful sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Sun shined brightly into the bedroom, rousing the six-foot man that was curled up in a full size bed. He stretched, groaning as his muscles warmed to life. Blinking a few times, he carefully sat up and realized that his girlfriend was nowhere to be found. 

He found her in the kitchen, covered only in his tee shirt and a pair of shorts, digging through the refrigerator. Grinning to himself, he looped his arms around her from behind and pressed a kiss to the back of her head. She jumped, almost dropping a carton of eggs as she grabbed his forearm and looked back at him.

“Holy shit. You scared me.” She laughed, leaning up to kiss him and then pulling away to go to the stove. He laughed with her, pouring himself a cup of coffee and watching her work her magic.

“Can I talk to you about something?” he asked suddenly, catching her complete attention. 

“Of course. You always know you can.” She replied, wiping her hands before grabbing a couple of potatoes and setting them on the cutting board.

Chris pressed his palms into the island, keeping his eyes trained on the counter top. “I want you to meet my family.” He said quietly, raising his faze to hers. She bit her bottom lip nervously, busying herself with chopping the potatoes.

“I want to, Chris. Believe me.” She finally replied, tossing the cubes into the hot skillet. “But I have to be here for Scotty. It was irresponsible of me to leave him for as long as I did.”

“Irresponsible? Hol, he’s 20. He’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself.” He said, furrowing his eyebrows. 

“But, I-“

“I know. I know what it’s like.” Chris began, rounding the island and taking her face into his hands gently. Her hands slid up his arms and her fingers wrapped around his wrist, holding him in place. “With siblings, it’s hard to let go when you’ve taken care of them.” Blue eyes searched brown and he smiled, his thumbs stroking over her cheeks. “But he would be fine for two weeks. He’s on summer break now.”

After a few moments, she answered, “I’ll think about it.”

Frustration settled into his chest, weighing on his heart, but he nodded and kissed her forehead. “That’s all I ask.” Holly gave him a small smile before turning back to the task at hand. She whipped up a breakfast quickly for them and brought it into the living room so they could sit together and watch the news. Sophie sat at their feet, her head resting on the hand that rested on Holly’s thigh.

“What are your plans for today?” she asked quietly as he cleaned up their plates, jogging them to the sink and plopping back on the couch beside her. 

“I’m up for whatever. I should probably do laundry.” He shrugged, circling his arm around her shoulders and gently pulling her into his side. 

“Me too. I need to go grocery shopping…” she trailed off, her fingers tracing his abs nonchalantly. 

“Keep doing that and neither of us will be going anywhere.” He murmured, kissing the side of her head. 

“Mmm, later.” She promised, throwing her legs over his lap and leaning back against Sophie, who had jumped up into the free space on the couch. Chris nodded in agreement, petting Sophie’s back happily. “I think we should go hiking tomorrow.” Holly suggested quietly. “I take Sophie to Runyon Canyon sometimes. We love it up there.” 

“I’d like that. How long is it?”

“About 3 miles round trip. It’s got a beautiful view from the top.” She laced her fingers through his that rested on her thigh, his thumb brushing against her soft skin. 

“That sounds perfect.” He replied, leaning down to kiss her. “How about this: we’ll take a shower and then load Sophie up into the car. We’ll go down to the market so you can get some groceries and we’ll stop by my house to grab my laundry. I can come back here with you, if that’s okay.” 

“Is that your way of asking me to do your laundry?” she teased, laughing as he tickled her side and stuck his tongue out at her. “I don’t mind doing laundry.”

“I’ll do the dishes when we get back if you do our laundry.” He compromised, pulling her up to him for another kiss. “I don’t mind doing that.”

“Mmm. Good. I hate doing the dishes.” She smiled as he kissed her again, nuzzling his nose against hers.

“Are you ready for a shower?” he asked, pressing his forehead to hers. 

“You can go first if you want.” She said, running her fingers through his hair.

“I thought maybe we could take a shower together.” Suggestively, he pulled her all the way into his lap to straddle him, leaning up to kiss her lips. Holly laughed breathlessly, burying her face into his neck as he stood up, effortlessly carrying her to the bathroom.

Chris didn’t hesitate in pulling his shirt off of her and pushing her shorts down her legs, pressing kisses to her neck and along the slope of her shoulder. His hands squeezed her hips as he released a sigh. “Are you sore from last night?” his voice had lowered, rumbling through his chest.

“Not too much.” She breathed, leaning back against him as he gently slipped his hand into her cotton underwear and traced circles around her clit. “Chris,” 

“Do you want me?” he murmured, pulling back to look into her eyes. 

“Always.” she whispered back to him, spinning in his arms so she could push his pants from his hips. Chris released a ragged breath, pulling her back into his arms so he could kiss her senseless. They clambered into the shower, his much taller body shielding her from the warm water as he gently pushed his tongue into her mouth. Holly daringly touched his hard cock, her fingers dancing up and down the shaft experimentally. Moaning, he rested his forehead on the top of her head, his chest heaving with his heavy panting.

“I want to be inside of you.” He finally said, gently pushing her hand away and sweeping her into his arms. One again, he effortlessly plucked her from the floor and leaned her against the tile wall. Holly ran her hand over his wet hair, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose as she watched him admirably. “You on the pill, baby?” She nodded, her head lolling back against the wall as he pushed inside of her, gritting his teeth. Holly supported herself by wrapping her arms around the back of his neck and extending her leg to give her some leverage on the wall behind him. 

“Fuck.” She breathed, burying her face into his neck. This time, he wasn’t as gentle, squeezing her bottom roughly as he thrust in and out of her. His beard scratched against her cheek as he leaned into her, moaning her name. Her nails dug into his shoulders, leaving half moons in its wake.

“You’re amazing.” He groaned, gently reaching up to tip her face towards him. Holly whimpered as he kissed her, rubbing at her clit. 

“I’m so close.”

“I know, honey.” He murmured, his tongue flicking over the warm droplets on her shoulder. Their movements slowed as Holly kissed him, her fingers threading through his soaked hair. Chris took the lead, feeling her tighten around him. He hauled her into his arms, pressing her into the tile as the water doused both of them. “Come for me.” And she did, crying out as he circled her clit a few more times. With no hesitation, he followed.

Carefully, he set her on shaky legs, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest. Holly began to sober, her fingers tightening around his biceps as he reached back to grab her shampoo. He massaged the shampoo into her scalp.

“Shit, Hol. You have so much hair.” He murmured, rinsing his hands off in the spray as she lathered a loofah with her lavender body wash. 

“I do.” She laughed, gently running the loofah over chest and shoulders. Chris grinned down at her, his hand tenderly stroking down the curve of her back. 

“When do you think Scott will be home?” he asked, watching as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair and closed her eyes, sighing happily.

“Mmm, soon.” She answered, lathering her conditioner as Chris took care of his hair. “I thought about inviting him out to the market with us, but I don’t think he would have any interest in that.” 

“He probably wouldn’t have any interest in watching me be cute with his sister either.” He added, kissing her forehead sweetly. Chuckling, Holly rinsed the conditioner from her hair and pressed a kiss to the center of his chest. 

“Well, I’m all done so I’m going to jump out and get dressed.” She said, pulling the shower curtain back and grabbing a black fluffy towel off the wall. Before she pulled the shower curtain closed, he grabbed her hand and pulled her in for one more kiss. With an amused grin, Holly headed into her bedroom and began to get ready for the day.


	15. Chapter 15

Holly smiled to herself as she folded one of Chris’s tee shirts, setting it on the bed. He had headed for the gym and she had agreed to stay behind to wait for him. She hadn’t specified that she was going to do his laundry and vacuum, but he would figure it out soon enough.

They had a lot to discuss; her possible job with him, his trip to Boston. She wasn’t sure how to tell him that she would be taking the job but wouldn’t be going with him to Boston. Two weeks was a long time and she was still feeling guilty about leaving Scott and Sophie for eight months while she was in London. Her happiness began to fade and her anxiety slowly took over as her mind raced.

The front door opened and closed, shaking her from her thoughts as she scooped his tee shirts up from the bed, stowing them in his dresser. She heard him jog up the stairs and watched as he appeared in the doorway, yanking his shirt over his head and beaming down at her. “Welcome back.” She said, forcing a smile as he leaned down to kiss her. 

“Mmm, thank you for vacuuming and doing my laundry.” He murmured, kissing her once more before heading into the bathroom.

“You’re welcome.” She sighed, listening to the shower turn on. Wringing her hands, she grabbed her phone from the bedside table and headed downstairs to grab a glass of cold water. Curling up on the couch, she tried to push the negative thoughts from her head. After a few sobering breaths, she closed her eyes and waited for him to come down the stairs.

Chris found her napping about 20 minutes later, smiling to himself as he ran a hand through his wet hair. Gently, he lifted her feet and slid onto the couch, snatching the remote off of the coffee table and starting to flip through channels. His hand absentmindedly ran up and down her legging-covered calf. He could feel in the air that something was wrong; she never took a nap like this during the day unless something had been incredibly stressful or she was trying to calm herself down. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he gently squeezed her leg in silent contemplation.

A bit later, she finally woke up, stretching her arms over her head. Chris smiled reassuringly as she sat up. With a small sigh she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. 

“Is everything okay, Hol?” he asked quietly, rubbing her back. 

“We have some stuff to talk about.” She replied, reaching for his hand and locking their fingers together. “I have bad news and good news. Which do you want first?”

Chris furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes searching hers. “I feel like I don’t even want to hear the bad news at all, but give me the good news first.”

“Well, after thinking about it a lot, I decided to take your offer to be your assistant.” She told him, smiling as he grinned down at her, placing a kiss on her forehead. Pulling her into his lap, he squeezed her close, burying his face in her neck. For a few moments, he was over the moon, but he could feel her heart thumping rapidly against his chest. After taking a deep breath, he pulled back to look into her teary eyes. 

“Okay, what’s wrong?” he murmured, reaching up to smooth her hair away from her face and brushing his thumb over her soft, freckled cheek. 

“I don’t want to make you angry with me. I just-“

“Holly,” he said patiently, his thumb catching her chin as he stared into her eyes. “Give it to me straight.”

“I don’t think it’s the right time for me to go to Boston.” She said, averting her gaze as blew all of the air out of his lungs and squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m sorry, Chris. I just can’t. I left Scott and Sophie for eight months. I can’t-“

“Stop.” He said, holding his hand up. She scrambled off of his lap and he stood, leaning on the back of the couch and crossing his arms across his chest. “I’m not going to yell and I’m not going to fight. I was just really looking forward to you meeting my parents. I’m disappointed is all, I guess.” He said, looking up at the ceiling to avoid her gaze. “Um…” he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

“I-I’ll go. I’m sorry.” She said, the tears spilling over her bottom lids and cascading down her cheeks.

“I’m, uh… going to leave for Boston tomorrow…” he told her, rubbing his hands over his face. 

“Oh… Oh, okay.” She nodded stiffly, rubbing her arm. “Um, I’ll text you? Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Do whatever you want.” He said, making her heart drop fully to her feet. He had never been this passive.

“Okay.” She whispered, turning on her heel and hurrying out the door, jumping in her car and driving away before she could look back at him.

—

Chris tiredly walked up the stairs to her apartment, an envelope clutched in his hands. He hadn’t slept at all last night and his plane was leaving in two hours. They were both hurting right now and he didn’t want to push her, but he thought she needed a little bit of a nudge. 

As he approached the apartment door, he heaved a sigh and stepped forward to tape the envelope to the door. Running a hand through his hair, he took one step back and headed back the way he came.


	16. Chapter 16

Holly woke up the next morning from her fitful rest to a knock on her bedroom door. When she stretched, her feet bumped into Sophie, who groaned and stretched herself. Scott opened the door hesitantly, peering in to see if it was just his sister or the man who had been frequenting their apartment.

“Hey. Uh, someone left this on the door for you this morning.” He said, handing it to her.

“Oh… thanks Scotty.” She said quietly, immediately recognizing her boyfriend’s writing on the front of it.

“What’s goin’ on?” her brother asked knowingly, leaning against her doorway.

“I think I screwed up.”

“What do you mean?”

“I screwed up, Scotty.” She said, burrowing her head in the pillow as a sob escaped her lips.

“Hol, what happened?” he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed and petting Sophie.

“Chris wanted me to go to Boston with him for two weeks to meet his family.” She said quietly. “I told him that I couldn’t because I already left you and Sophie for too long…” Scott nodded in understanding. She hiccupped, playing with a loose string on her comforter. “I’m so scared to meet his family, Scott. They mean so much to him. What if they don’t like me?”

“Is that what this is really about?” he asked gently.

“Some of it.” She sighed, reaching for a tissue. “Most of it.”

“Holly, they would absolutely love you. You know that. You and Chris are so good together and I’ve never seen you so happy. I’m sure it’s the same for him.” Scott told her. “As for Sophie and I, you know that we’ll get by without you. We’ll miss you but we’ll be okay.” Holly tackled her brother into a hug, shedding happy and scared tears. “Alright, alright. I’m going to go whip up some breakfast.”

“Okay. I’ll be out in a second.” With that, Scotty headed out to the kitchen with Sophie trailing behind him.

Turning the letter over in her hands, she carefully opened the envelope and pulled the papers from its confines. In fact, there was no letter-just her ticket to Boston and a slip of paper with an address scribbled on it. Pursing her lips, she smoothed her thumb over the destination and contemplated her options. Of course, she could tell him that she was coming that day. But she had a few things that she had to do before she left, which would require at least a day in L.A. Or she could always wait for him to come back, but that was something that was out of the questions. If she wanted to do right by him and herself, she would be on that plane.

Scrambling up from the bed, she grabbed her suitcase from the closet and began packing for a week and a half trip.


	17. Chapter 17

The taxi rumbled along the highway as dusk loomed over Boston. After her six-hour non-stop flight and a minimal amount of sleep the last two nights, all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep… preferably beside her boyfriend. But she knew that wasn’t going to be the case. She had to meet the family and then have a long talk with Chris before any sleeping would be happening. 

The driver finally took the exit off the interstate and into Sudbury. Her heart almost leapt from her chest. Within moments, he pulled up outside a big white house with huge maple trees in the front yard. Biting her bottom lip, she carefully got out of the taxi and smoothed her palms over her teal high-waisted pants and the black v-neck that was tucked into it. The driver wheeled her suitcase up onto the sidewalk and handed her backpack over to her. In return, she handed him the fee and tip with a quiet “thank you.” Before she could have any second thoughts, he drove away.

The walk to the front door shouldn’t have been as long as it felt and she was almost relieved when she finally got there, pressing the doorbell and squeezing her eyes shut. Within moments, a middle-aged woman that she had recognized from the pictures on Chris’s walls appeared with a beaming smile.

“You must be Holly! I’m Lisa, Chris’s mom.” She said, holding her hand out. Holly shook it eagerly, relieved that his mother was so warm and welcoming. She half expected her to kick her back out onto the street knowing Chris had probably told her what had happened a few days before. “We’ve been so excited to meet you. Come on in.” She hauled her suitcase into the foyer and wheeled it to the side. “Chris is out in back with my grandkids. Go ahead and leave your suitcase here. He’ll take care of it in a bit.” 

“Oh, thank you.” Holly smiled, clasping her hands as she followed Lisa to the back door. When she stepped out, her heart soared as she watched him dig in the sandbox with his nephews. She had never seen him so in his element.

“Chris!” Lisa called to him, immediately catching his attention. His gaze fell on her and his eyes widened.

Chris was stunned to put it lightly. His eyes stayed trained on her as she headed his way, brushing her red curls out of her face. Clearing his throat, he stood and held his breath as she folded herself into his embrace.

“Hi.” She said quietly as she pulled away, looking into his eyes.

“Hi…” he whispered, subconsciously brushing a loose strand of hair from her chocolate brown eyes. Her eyes began to tear up and his heart shattered. “Please don’t cry.” He smiled down at her reassuringly and lovingly, bringing his palm up to cup her cheek and pressing his forehead against hers. “I’m so happy that you’re here.” She agreed quietly, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

“Your nieces and nephews are adorable.” She murmured after a few moments, watching them play on the swing set. Her arm wound beneath his and her hand supported herself on his shoulder. 

“I thought that you might not come.” He whispered suddenly, arms tightening around her. 

“We’ll talk later, Chris. I don’t want to do this in front of your family.” She replied hastily, squeezing his elbow as they parted. Nodding in understanding, he led her to the kitchen.

“You want something to drink?” She nodded, leaning against the countertop as he fished through the refrigerator. He popped a top to a beer and handed it to her, rubbing her back as she took a sip. He could tell that her heart was beating faster than ever. His was too. After a few sips, she leaned up to place a gentle kiss on his lips. With a quiet groan, he pulled her close. 

“Can I introduce you to everyone?” he asked.

“Yeah. Let’s go.” She said, setting her beer on the counter and taking his hand.

— — —

After meeting his family, the couple decided to go for a walk, hand-in-hand. Holly wrapped her free hand around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, gazing up at the stars as they sauntered. “I can see why you liked growing up here.” She said quietly, squeezing his arm gently.

“It was amazing growing up here, really.” He murmured. “Any kid is lucky to be raised here.” Holly nuzzled her face into his arm as he kissed the top of her head sweetly. They were quiet for a few moments as they found a small park, sliding onto a bench. He rested his arm around her shoulders and she rested a hand on his thigh.

“I’m sorry… for everything, Chris.” She said quietly, avoiding his gaze. “I realized after I left that it wasn’t really that I was leaving Sophie and Scott… I was anxious to meet your family and now I see that I had no reason to be anxious.”

“You’re allowed to be nervous about things.” He replied simply. “Typically I wouldn’t be upset about something like that, but I knew you would get along so well with them and I didn’t know how to make you see that.”

“I see now.” She mumbled as he turned her face towards his and pressed a kiss to her lips. Holly ran her fingers through his beard and rested her forehead against his lips, closing her eyes.

“You’ve had a long day, Hol. Do you want to head back?” Chris asked, looking down at her worriedly.

“Mmm, yeah. I think so.” She yawned, letting him pull her up from the bench. Instead of starting to walk back to the house, he pulled her into a hug and kissed the side of her head.

“I love you so much and I want you to talk these sorts of things through with me, if you want to, okay?” he said.

“Of course. I love you.” Holly murmured, kissing him to seal the deal. “I’m not sure anything about us will freak me out after this.” With a small smile, he wrapped his arm around her waist and turned her for the house.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and bookmarks! I greatly appreciate it. Enjoy!

“Hol,” Chris whispered, sliding onto the bed beside her sleeping body, resting his hand on her side. She stirred, making an inhuman noise as she stretched her arms above her head. Chuckling to himself, he dipped to kiss her forehead. “You slept well last night.” 

“Yeah I did… wait, how did you know?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows skeptically.

“When you get into a really deep sleep you snore.” He said simply, patting her thigh.

“I do not.” She laughed, covering her face. “Do I?” Peeking through her fingers. Chris laughed.

“You do. Just little snores. It’s adorable.” He grinned in amusement as she rolled around on the bed, laughing hysterically.

“So embarrassing.” She said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “We’ve been together for almost six months and you’re just telling me now.”

“It’s just one of those little things that I love about you.” He shrugged bashfully, his grin widening as she sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I have a list of those too.” She said matter-of-factly, placing a light kiss on his nose and sliding off the bed.

“Really? Like what?” he asked, watching as she pulled his shirt that she had stolen over her head and replaced it with a sports bra and dark blue tank top.

“I don’t know. I’d better hold onto that information for as long as you did.” She said, pulling a black pair of leggings on and grinning as he rolled his eyes, falling back into the bed.

“You wouldn’t do that to me.” He said, shaking his head while watching her pull her hair into a ponytail.

“Come on, Christopher. You know me better than that.” She teased as he rolled off the bed and advanced her.

“I would say that I know you pretty well at this point aaaand you’re going to tell me by the end of the day.”

“I guess we’ll have to see.” She sang, laughing as he tickled her sides. Stilling his fingers, he pulled her into a sweet kiss and pressed her forehead to hers, stealing her breath. “You just might if you keep kissing me like that.”

“Mmm,” Chris laughed breathlessly. “My mom is making breakfast downstairs.” 

“I can smell that.” She smiled happily, nuzzling her nose against his chest. “I’m going to go see if she needs help.” His heart swelled as she slid from his arms and headed downstairs. He couldn’t believe that his two favorite people were in the same place and they were getting along so well. Not that he had any doubt that they would get along.

When he came around the corner in the kitchen, he found Holly whisking pancake batter and his mom making toast. Smiling to himself, he poured Holly a cup of coffee with just the right amount of creamer and placed it next to his that had gone cold while he was upstairs. Holly murmured her thanks and kissed his cheek before turning back to the task at hand. Lisa swept Holly up into conversation easily while Chris smiled from behind his coffee cup, sitting on a stool at the counter. 

“Chris, could you set the table please?” Lisa asked, flipping the last pancake onto the plate. Holly helped him, following with utensils and glasses. They bumped into each other when he turned back around and he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

“Where is the rest of your family?” she asked quietly as that sat beside each other.

“It’s a Thursday so they’re all at work or school.” He answered simply, munching on a strip of bacon. As usual, his hand settled on her thigh and they smiled at each other. Lisa looked between the two of them with the biggest smile on her face. She had never seen Chris so happy and comfortable with a girlfriend before. It was refreshing and uplifting. She wanted nothing more than for them to stay together. From the sink, she watched them cuddle up in the hammock, swinging back and forth.

Holly stroked her thumb over Chris’s cheek and he closed his eyes, releasing a sigh from his lungs. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes too. “I think we should get a hammock for the house.” He mumbled, kissing the pad of her thumb.

“That would be amazing. I’d probably never get anything done.” She smiled as Chris’s chuckle graced her ears. Silence fell over them as he tightened his arm around her. 

“My mom has to go work at the theatre this afternoon and I told her that we would go run some errands for her. Are you up for it?” he mumbled, grinning as her leg sneakily snuck over this thigh, holding him close to her.

“I’m up for anything.” She replied. 

“And the house is going to be empty when we come back.” He sang, making her blush and bury her face into his neck. “We can finally have make-up s-“

“Chris, I’m going to head out in a few minutes. Would you mind watering the plants back here?” Lisa called, making Holly squeak from the close call.

“Yeah, ma. I can do it.” He called back, squeezing Holly’s thigh. 

“Alright, you two. I’ll be back tonight. Behave.” She grinned to herself as snickers came from the hammock.


	19. Chapter 19

“Miss Holly, will you play with me?” Chris’s nephew tugged on the leg of her cropped yoga pants with a grin akin to his uncle’s. Looking out to the backyard, she made sure Chris was still busy assembling the swing set that he had bought for the kids with his brother in-law.

“Of course, honey.” She smiled, letting him take her hand and pull her into the living room. “What are we playing?” 

“Superheroes.” He grinned, plopping into a beanbag and pulling out his box over Avengers action figures. Smiling right back at him, she folded her legs beneath her and clasped her hands in her lap.

“Who do you want me to be?”

“You can be whoever you want! I just want to be Uncle Chris.” He said seriously, pushing the container towards her. She selected Thor and Black Widow, doing her best to contain her laughter. Chris had told her when they were still in London that his nephew called Captain America “Uncle Chris.” He wasn’t kidding that it was the most adorable thing in the world.

The two of them played for a solid 45 minutes before Chris appeared in the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest and smiling down at them. Holly had Natasha on the motorcycle, following Captain America around the edge of the couch. When he cleared his throat, they both jumped and Holly blushed, brushing a loose curl back into her bandana.

“Uncle Chris! Come play!” the little voice said, diving over the couch with Cap and hurrying over to his toy box. The Quinjet appeared as Chris leaned against the couch, pulling Holly in between his legs and kissing the side of her head.

“Is the swing set all put together?” she asked quietly, looking back at him as he gently tugged on one of her curls. He nodded. As if on queue, his nephew dashed out back to inspect his new toy. Chris was quiet for a moment his fingers weaving through hers.

“So what do you think?” he asked quietly, fiddling nervously with her hand. 

“About what, sweetheart?” she replied, furrowing her eyebrows.

“About everything. About Boston, my family…” he trailed off, watching as she spun around, kneeling in between his legs. 

“I love Boston.” She assured him, cupping his cheeks so he couldn’t look away from her eyes. “I love your family. They’re so sweet and kind and welcoming. I can see where you get it from.” He smiled bashfully, smoothing his palms over his jeans and diverting his gaze. “Most of all, I love you.”

“I love you too.” He said quietly, leaning up to kiss her. “So, you can see yourself with me long-term?” 

“Chris,” she said shakily, brushing her thumbs over his cheekbones. “I could see myself with you for the rest of my life.” 

“Really?” he breathed, tears springing into his eyes. Holly nodded, sinking into him as he pulled her into his chest. She kissed him as if her life depended on it, resting her forehead against his. Tears fell from their eyes, dripping onto their shirts as they laughed in disbelief. Kissing his tears away, she smoothed her hand over his hair. “Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page.” He chuckled, brushing her tears away with his thumb. Feeling a rush through her veins, she wound her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder, feeling the happiest that she had ever felt. Nothing could compare.

When she pulled away, she kissed him one more time, adjusting the backwards baseball cap on his head. Kissing his forehead, she stood and offered her hand. When she pulled him up, he wound his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him. “There’s just one more thing…”

“Mmm?” she asked, her hands fisted and resting on his chest as she smiled up at him.

“Will you move in with me?” he asked, watching her with silent hope.

“This one is a no-brainer, I think.” She answered, running her hands down his arms to cup his elbows. “Scotty has been dying to move into a house closer to campus with his friends. Sophie and I will most definitely move in with you.” Holly beamed up at him as he swept her into his arms, off the floor.

“I’m so happy.” He said, muffled by her hair. “So unbelievably happy.” 

“Me too.” She whispered in his ear. 

“We’ll sort everything out on the plane ride home.” She agreed quietly before he set her down.

“Now, let’s go play on the swing set.” She said, pulling him out the back door.


	20. Chapter 20

Chris took personal satisfaction as he took Holly’s twin-size mattress and slid it into the back of the U-Haul that they had rented. He could never tell her that her bed was too small for the two of them when he stayed with her, but he was glad that they were just going to throw it in his basement for the time being so that they could make full use of the king sized bed in their bedroom.

“What are you smiling about?” Holly asked, panting as she set a box of books beside the bed. She straightened, hands on her hips as she took deep breaths.

“Just thinking about what it’s going to be like to sleep every night with you in our bed.” He smiled, winding an arm around her and kissing her gently. Giving up her no-nonsense façade, she kissed him back. “Alright. What’s left?” 

“Just my bookcase and my desk.” She said, brushing a loose strand of his hair back into place.

“That’s it?” he asked, looking around at all the space they had left.

“Yeah, I mean… I moved from New York so I don’t have much here. A lot of it is still at my mom’s house.” While explaining, she stepped away, sliding her sunglasses back into place and heading back up to her apartment. Chris nodded, following her.

“I’m glad we moved Scotty yesterday.” He said as they climbed the stairs together. 

“Me too. He had so much more crap than I do.” She laughed, looking back as Chris chuckled.

“I was thinking for another reason…” he tossed her a smug smile as he picked up her bookcase with one hand and started for the door. Holly rolled her eyes playfully, allowing her hips to sway a little bit more as she opened doors for him. As he set the bookcase in the truck, he winked at her. 

“Why do I have the feeling that you and I won’t be getting out of bed for the next week or so?” She held the door for him as they headed back inside one more time for the desk. 

“Because you and I will finally have a place where we can do whatever we want, wherever we want and as loud as we want.” He replied suggestively, setting his hand on her lower back as they inspected the almost empty apartment. Chris never failed to make her blush, which made his heart happy. When she turned a deep shade of pink, he kissed her cheek and patted her bottom. “Let’s get this desk in the trailer and head home.”

In that moment, home sounded so amazing to her. She hadn’t felt like she had a home since she moved to L.A., but that was all changing because of Chris. The only thing she hoped was that he didn’t feel like she was intruding. Her anxiety had eaten away at her the night before while he slept beside her, curled up with his arm slung over her waist. She thought about everything that could happen, which had been a terrible mistake. It wasn’t until about 5 a.m. when she was so exhausted that she couldn’t think anymore that she turned into Chris, molding her body to his.

“Alright. You ready to go, Hol?” he asked, watching as she stared up at her apartment building.

“Yeah.” Came her quiet reply. Chris wound her arms around her from behind and kissed the top of her head. With a reassuring smile, she turned into him and hugged him tightly. “Let’s go home.” 

—

That night, Holly worked away at unpacking her things, having in Chris move things that she didn’t need into the storage in the basement. The more she worked, the better she felt until she looked at the time, hearing Chris yawn from a bar stool behind her. “It’s almost two in the morning, Hol. Are you about ready to head up to bed?” 

“Yeah. I’m just about there.” She sighed, looking at the big pile of boxes that she had already unpacked. “You go ahead and head up. I’ll be up in a minute.” Nodding, Chris ran a hand through his hair and jogged up the stairs. After a few minutes of looking around, she realized that the only thing left to unpack was her office supplies, which wouldn’t take more than 15 or 20 minutes and could wait until morning.

Exhaustion hit her like a freight train as she trudged up the stairs. Chris smiled with his amusement as she dragged herself into the bedroom, stripping off her clothes and replacing it with a simple oversized tee shirt before falling into bed beside him. Sophie trotted in behind her, jumping up on the bed. Turning on his side, Chris watched as her eyes fluttered open to look at him.

“I’m really happy you’re here.” He said softly, gently pulling her hair out of its ponytail. 

“Me too.” She breathed as he pulled her closer. Tucking her head beneath his chin, she squeezed her arms around him. In his arms, any of her anxieties had dissipated and she smiled to herself as he kissed her forehead, shutting the light off.


	21. Chapter 21

Chris fiddled around with the remote while lounging on the couch, completely uninterested in what was on the television. About two hours ago, Holly had left to meet with his publicist to lock everything down for the “Before We Go” press tour. He was nervous. He was nervous for her because she had been nervous leaving the house. He was nervous for himself because he wasn’t sure if he was ready for another round of press. 

Sighing, he rolled off the couch and headed into the kitchen to grab a snack. After raiding the refrigerator and making himself a sandwich the some of the groceries that she had bought the day before, he peeked out the curtains to confirm that she still wasn’t home. Sophie jumped up on the couch beside him as he ate, resting her head in his lap with a small sigh.

“I know, Soph. I miss her too.” He said, licking his fingers and setting the plate off to the side. Finally, he heard her car pull in the driveway and he jumped to his feet, following the dog to the door. Holly smiled up at him as he opened the door, jogging up the stairs and letting him sweep her into a kiss. “How’d it go?”

“Great!” she said happily, wrapping her arm around his waist as he brought her inside. “She was so nice and I can’t believe that she’s trusting me with so much already.”

“I’m glad it went well.” He grinned, watching as she set her bag down and pulled her sweater off. “Plus, you look amazing in professional wear.” Throwing him a small smile and raising her eyebrow, she leaned against the railing of the stairs.

“Oh yeah?”

“Oh yeah.” He all but growled, moving towards her slowly. Holly broke character, laughing as Chris circled his arms around her waist. He joined her, letting his arms fall as he shook his head. “One of these days we’re going to get through a roleplay.”

“Are you sure? We’ve tried it so many times and I just can’t do it.” She giggled, leaning against him and resting her head against her chest. 

“One day it’ll work.” He said confidently, rubbing her back. “Now, what do you want to do? I thought about grilling some steaks for dinner and eating in the backyard because it’s beautiful out.”

“That sounds perfect.” She said, patting his stomach and heading into the kitchen to pull the steaks out of the refrigerator. Watching her marinade them, Chris opened up two Sam Adams and set one next to her, kissing the side of her head. She smiled at him, taking a sip before continuing her work. 

“Do we want corn or potatoes?” he asked, rummaging through all of the vegetables.

“You pick, honey.” She replied, setting the pan of marinating steaks on the counter. Pulling out a few ears of corn, he set them on the counter. Holly joined him, husking them and throwing them in a pot to soak. Sophie was beneath them, wagging her tail happily and nuzzling her face into Chris’s hand. When they finished, Holly took his free hand, pressing a kiss to his shoulder and smiling sweetly up at him. Grinning back down at her, he squeezed her hand. 

“Now, you’re going to go read and relax…” he said, handing her the book she had set on the counter and pulling her towards the backyard. When she began to protest, he silenced her with a kiss. “Let me take care of you.”

“Fine.” She sighed, but not without a small smile as she slid into the chair. In truth, it wasn’t that she needed to be taken care of. It was more that he needed to channel his nervous energy and nurturing felt like the best way to do that for him.

Holly could see that his anxiousness was rolling off of him in waves. She could feel it. After a few minutes of reading the same paragraph and eyeing him as he poked the steaks with his flipper, she slid off of the chaise lounge and wound her arms around his waist, kissing between his shoulder blades.

“Everything okay?” she asked, feeling his larger hand settle over hers. He sighed and bit the inside of his cheek.

“I’m just anxious for press.” He shrugged. 

“All you need to do is ask me for a break if you’re feeling overwhelmed.” Holly explained. “I’ll be there for you.” 

“I know you will be.” He replied, rubbing his hand over his face. “Just once I want to get through one of these and not feel like I’m crawling out of my skin.” 

“You can’t help it, Chris.” She murmured, resting her forehead against his back. “And that’s okay. You shouldn’t force anything when it comes to your anxiety. I learned that the hard way.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, turning to look at her after closing the top of the grill.

“Well, I used to subject myself to peer pressure and going out on dates with guys that my friends would set me up with. Almost all of them ended with me in the bathroom having a panic attack because I was trying to please other people, but it never helped me. Not once.” She explained, rubbing her hands up and down his arms. “I finally put my foot down my last year of college and explained to my friends that I didn’t want to be set up. I knew I would find someone that made me happy eventually. And I was right.” Chris had to smile and kiss her forehead.

“Well, I’m glad that worked out in our favor.” He said quietly. 

“So, don’t push it next week at TIFF.” She said, summing up what she was getting at. “You owe it to yourself to feel good at these things.” With a small nod, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. 

“You’re the best, you know that?”

“I try.” She blushed, burying her face in his chest.

“You succeed.” he murmured, feeling infinitely better about the week ahead of them.


	22. Chapter 22

Holly snuck into the interview room carrying two grande dark roast coffees and tossed her boyfriend a reassuring smile as she sank into a chair beside his publicist. He was doing great, whipping through the interviews with a big smile on his face, but she could tell he was starting to get tired. As he shook hands with the interviewer, he turned his attention to her with a small smile.

“Hey,” she smiled, handing him his coffee as he plopped into the chair beside her. There was nothing she wanted more than to snuggle up to him, but she knew better. The last thing they both needed was to reveal that she was his assistant publicist and they were dating and living together. That was so much added stress on him, being questioned already about his relationship status and she would lose her job if it fell back on her. 

“How much longer?” he asked, peering over at her.

“Well, you’ve got one more interview and then you’re done until the Q and A and premiere tonight.” She replied, flipping through her binder. Nodding, Chris sipped his coffee and ripped his head back to close his eyes. Holly patted his shoulder and turned her attention to her phone.

“Who ya talking to?” he asked, playing with his beard as he watched her.

“My dad.” She answered. “He’s asking if we want to come visit before we had back to California.”

“That would be awesome.” Chris said, sitting up and leaning over to look at her phone while she priced out flights.

“We’ll talk while we’re getting ready for the premiere.” She whispered, nodding to the last interviewer. With a tired smile, Chris got up to shake hands with the interviewer. Holly watched on fondly, mindlessly twisting one of her red curls around her finger. After a few moments, a heavy hand was set on her shoulder and squeezed gently, recapturing her attention.

“I’m all set. You ready?” he asked. Nodding, she grabbed her sweater off the back of the chair and slung her tote bag over her shoulder. They settled the schedule and said goodbye to his publicist, who was taking the night off and letting Holly fill in so she could prove herself.

Holly followed him to the elevator and leaned up against the metal wall beside him while he selected their floor number. When the door closed, he took her hand and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head with a content sigh. “I never realized how much you and I touch until today when we couldn’t, like, at all.” Holly made a small sound of agreement, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck.

“Does that mean we can take a shower together before the premiere?” she asked, smiling as he groaned.

“I’d like to do more than just take a shower with you.” He whispered suggestively, closing his lips over hers. Holly moaned quietly, her fingers fisting his shirt. The door opened and they sprang away from each other, cheeks flushing pink. An older couple hobbled into the elevator, holding hands. Biting her bottom lip, she watched the couple kiss sweetly and caught Chris’s gaze. He winked at her and threw her a sly smile.

“’Scuse me.” Holly said quietly as they elevator stopped at their floor, moving around the couple and waited for Chris, who nodded to the couple and pressed a hand to her lower back to guide her to their room.

— — —

“Chris! Chris, over here!” Paparazzi called, the lights blinding him as he did his best to smile. He was secretly thinking about his girlfriend, who stood off to the side, concentrating on the schedule that they had to keep. He wished that she could be on his arm, standing beside him and holding his hand. It would be comforting for him, even though she was right there.

“Okay, Chris.” She said, cupping his elbow and moving him on to the first interview. “How are you doing?” she asked, noting his wrinkled forehead.

“I’m okay.” He murmured to her, giving her a smile that was supposed to reassure her. Holly raised an eyebrow as they stood off to the side, waiting for Alice Eve to finish up her interview.

“The good news is that there’s only this one annnd… two more. Then you can do the Q&A and watch the film.” She nudged him with her elbow with a small smile.

“Can we-“

“And we’ve got Chris Evans, the director of ‘Before We Go’ here!” the interviewer exclaimed and Holly stepped off to the side, nonchalantly checking her schedule.

“Alright, babe. Let’s keep moving.” He muttered, almost wrapping an arm around her waist but clenching his hands into fists. “I was about to ask you if we could skip the screening. I have a copy of the final cut at home and I would be willing to watch that with you if we didn’t stay.”

“Yeah, that’s fine with me.” She said quietly, looking up at him worriedly.

Chris was fine for the rest of the interviews and the Q&A. Holly couldn’t help but laugh to herself as he fumbled through his introduction of the cast and the film. After his long day, she didn’t blame him for how flustered and tired he was. In fact, he practically fell into her arms when he came off stage, the smile falling from his lips as he buried his face into her neck. Thankful that they were shrouded in the darkness of the stage, she ran her fingers through her hair and kissed his cheek.

“Come on, baby.” She said quietly, taking his jacket off and folding it over her arm. “Let’s go back to the hotel and open a bottle of wine.” Nodding silently, Chris took her hand and they headed for the back door, weaving through cast and crew to make their escape.

When they reached the street, Chris finally broke down, tears pouring from his eyes and his chest heaving. Holly was quick to take his hand and squeeze it, dropping her clipboard and his jacket. “Hey, honey. Look at me.” His eyes fluttered a few times before they opened fully, staring into hers. “I’m right here. You’re going to be okay.” Taking his other hand, she covered her heart and held his hand there. “Feel my heartbeat? I’m right here for you, Chris. Take deep breaths.” He nodded, resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. Keeping quiet for a moment, she watched him, letting go of his hand to run her hand over his hair soothingly. She ran her hand down to his heart, feeling it beat wildly against his chest.

“I-I-“ he stuttered, leaning against her out of exhaustion.

“Shh, Chris. Shh,” Holly said quietly. “Deep breaths.” As his shoulders slumped, she pulled her phone out and called his driver, talking quietly and quickly. The black car pulled up almost immediately and Holly pulled the door open for him, letting him clamber into the back and lay across the seat. Sliding in beside him, she nodded to the driver and closed the door.

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly, avoiding her worried gaze. “I told myself I wouldn’t let it get this bad today.”

“Chris, you’re okay. Sometimes you just have to let it out.” She said quietly, “You know I understand.” She took his shaking hand and laced their fingers.

“Miss, would you like some help?” the driver asked as they pulled up in front of the hotel and she refused, thanking him. Chris slumped against her tiredly as they headed in for the night, riding the elevator to their floor and walking to their room.

His hands were still shaking as he started to undress, fingers fumbling with the knot in his tie. Holly gently pushed his hands away and untied his tie for him, setting it on the table beside him. Before he could start in on his shirt, she un-tucked it from his pants and unbuttoned that too. Chris rid himself of his pants and shoes, kicking them off to the side.

Holly opened a bottle of water and pulled the covers on the bed back. She remembered back to when he took care of her in London, holding her on the bed as she sobbed and shook. Feeling his presence beside her, she straightened and gave him a small smile. He sunk onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face into her stomach. She rubbed his back and kissed the top of his head, squeezing him close.

“I love you.” He mumbled, muffled by her dress. “Thank you. For everything.”

“I love you. So much.” She replied. “And I will always be here for you, Chris. Always.” A single tear fell from her eye as she tucked him in, kissing his forehead. She loved this man more than anything and she hated seeing him in pain. In that moment, she knew he was it for her.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it to 101 kudos! Thank you so much to all of you who are keeping up with Chris and Holly. I'm here to tell you that there are only three chapters after this one. HOWEVER, I will be taking requests for fluffy and smutty oneshots just like I do for "Falling" so start thinking of prompts and throw them my way! :)
> 
> I'm also in the planning process for a Steve Rogers/Holly story so stay tuned for that as well!

Holly smiled to herself as she slipped into the driver’s seat of a rental car and Chris packed their suitcases into the back. Central New York’s summers were one of her favorite things on the planet. She was ecstatic to be sharing it with her boyfriend, who probably experienced something very similar while growing up is Boston. When he slid into the seat beside her, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Tossing him a beaming smile, she turned the car on. After pulling onto the interstate, she reached over and took his hand.

Her dad’s house was quiet and practically in the woods. After Chris’s anxiety attack just the day before, this was the best place he could be-beside Holly in a quiet, calming place. As soon as they pulled up, her dad and stepmom greeted them outside with their black lab, Bella.

“Hi!” Holly said happily, hugging both of them. Chris watched her, petting Bella with his free hand. “Dad, Sue, this is Chris.” They greeted him, her dad shaking his hand and Sue pulling him into a hug.

“We’ve heard a lot about you.” She whispered into his ear, patting his shoulder. With a small smile, Chris took Holly’s hand and she led him inside.

“You guys go ahead and get settled. I’ll round up some snacks for lunch. You guys must be hungry.” Her dad grinned, opening the refrigerator. Leading him to her room, she opened the door and smiled happily with a deep breath.

“Nothing’s changed.” She smiled, setting her bag next to the closed closet and sitting on the bed. Following suit, Chris leaned down and kissed her, hands planted on either side of her hips. Winding her arms around the back of his neck, she deepened the kiss and ran her fingers over his scalp. When he pulled away, she placed a kiss on the tip of his nose and grinned up at him. Bella interrupted them by nuzzling Chris’s leg.

“I think that’s our cue to get back out there.” He murmured, kissing her again. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” Holly murmured, letting him pull her off the bed.

They convened in the screened-in gazebo in the backyard amongst waterfalls and flowers, the summer breeze tousling Holly’s curls as she munched on cheese and crackers. Chris sat across from her with crackers and hummus, closing his eyes in complete bliss. Refilling his lemonade with a small smile, she settled back into her chair and pet Bella.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, receiving a content grin.

“Much, much better.” He answered, opening one eye to look over at her.

“I’m glad.” She whispered.

“Hol, can you come help me with dinner?” her dad called from the deck.

“Be there in a second!” she called back, sliding off the chair and patting Chris’s thigh. “You need anything before I go?”

“I’m good. Thanks babe.” He winked. “Just leave Bella with me and I’ll be perfectly fine.” Chuckling to herself, Holly headed back into the house and went into the kitchen. She found her dad and stepmom preparing dinner and smiled to herself, remembering old times.

“What can I do?” she asked, washing her hands.

“Go ahead and marinade the pork tenderloin.” Her dad answered, cutting up mushrooms and peppers. Nodding, she grabbed a handful of spices from the cabinet and the meat from the refrigerator.

“So… Chris is wonderful.” Sue piped up while washing lettuce in the sink.

“Yeah.” Holly blushed, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “He’s amazing.”

“You finally found someone who deserves you.” Her dad grinned, squeezing her shoulder. Shaking her head, she rubbed the marinade into the pork.

“We deserve each other.” She said simply, shrugging.

“Go ahead and take that out to the grill. It’s ready to go.” Her dad said, gesturing to the door. Nodding, Holly headed back out to the grill and Chris was there to open the door for her.

“Thank you.” She said quietly, opening the top of the grill and sliding the tenderloin onto it.

“That looks delicious.” He said, leaning up against the railing of the deck.

“It’s my dad’s recipe. He’s the one who taught me how to cook for the most part.” She said, turning the heat down a bit and closing the top. Turning towards him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin against his chest. Chris’s arms settled around her comfortably and he looked down at her.

“What are we doing after dinner?”

“Usually we just hang out in the gazebo and then we head to bed at about 9 or 10. Why?” she asked, squeezing her arms around him.

“Well, we need to break in your childhood bed because we already broke mine in.” he whispered suggestively, grinning as she blushed and buried her face in his chest.

“Yeah, but your mom was down the hall. My dad is right across the hall.” She mumbled as he bent down to kiss her shoulder.

“We can be quiet.” Assuring her, he ran his hand over her hair.

“We’ll see.” She said, rolling her eyes playfully as her dad came outside with a couple of different sides to throw on the grill. Chris winked at her, patting her ass when her dad wasn’t paying attention.

“Bella! Want to play?” he called, jogging out into the yard with a tennis ball in hand, ready to play.

\- - -

Holly pulled her sports bra over her head, tossing it into her suitcase and pulled one of Chris’s tee shirts over her head. Watching from the bed, Chris licked his lips, appreciating the way that the soft light touched her skin and her soft curves. She sunk onto the bed beside him with a small smile. His hand rested on her hip and he propped himself up on one hand, admiring her.

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispered, his hand found the hem of her shirt and gently lifted it so it was around her ribs. Holly leaned forward and kissed him gently, her hand settling on the side of his neck. Pulling away, he got up onto his hands and knees and hovered over her. His nose traced the bleached birthmark on her side, his warm breath caressing her skin. His soft lips followed, earning a small gasp. His hands found her cotton boy shorts and pulled them down her legs, tossing them into his suitcase.

She stretched out below him when he dipped between her legs, tongue finding her clit. Throwing her arm over mouth, she muffled a moan and arched her back. Chris shushed her and kissed the inside of her thigh.

“So wet for me.” He whispered, pulling his boxers off and grabbing a condom from the desk beside the bed. Holly squirmed beneath him as he rolled it over his cock. “Roll onto your side.” She did as he asked and stifled another moan as he shifted in behind her, his hard cock brushing against her ass. He eased inside her, burying his face in her neck. While his hips moved, his hand found her breast and kneaded gently, pinching her nipple.

“I love it when you fill me up, Chris.” She whispered, grinding back into him.

“As much as I love your dirty talk, baby, this is not the time or place to be using it.” He silenced her with a kiss, reaching down to flick her clit. Holly jolted beneath him, burying her face in the sheets. Her legs shook as he rocked into her, waiting to be tipped over the edge. Chris gently sunk his teeth into her shoulder and that was all she needed, her walls milking him for all that he was worth. He was right behind her with a quiet grunt, wrapping his arm tightly around her waist.

“God.” Holly panted, laughing as Chris pressed a tired kiss to her cheek. “How was that for breaking in the bed?”

“It was perfect.” He whispered, pulling out of her and discarding the condom in the trashcan under the desk. “Absolutely perfect.”


	24. Chapter 24

The wind rustled the leaves of the trees overhead as they tromped through the wilderness, their backpacks secure on their backs. The warm air smelled of pine. Holly tipped her head towards the sun, smiling to herself as her red ponytail was tousled by the wind. Chris followed closely, admiring her with a small smile. 

After his attack in Toronto, the week with Holly’s family had been a godsend. He had met her mom and her mom’s boyfriend a few days after their arrival and had enjoyed a nice couple of days relaxing by the pool with Holly. Everything had been so quiet.

Including this moment.

“We’re almost there!” Holly said breathlessly, noticing the trees shortening and more open rock faces. Thanking God beneath his breath, Chris took a swig of water and trudged up the last leg right behind his girlfriend. When they got to the top, Chris immediately dropped his backpack and pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head.

“Wow.” They marveled at the sights around them- the peaks jutting up from the ground, the leaves of the tall trees fading into yellows, oranges, and reds. Closing his eyes, he rested his chin on top of her head and sighed happily. For the first time in awhile, nothing was clogging up his brain. He was just existing and he was existing beside the dream come true in his arms. 

“Let’s lay down for a little while.” Holly suggested quietly, kissing the center of his chest. With a tired nod, he helped her spread their rain jackets out and position their backpacks as pillows. They curled up beside each other and effortlessly drifted to sleep.

Chris allowed his mind to wander to the events at the beginning of the day. While Holly had been in the shower, he had been talking to her dad out in the gazebo. Seeing it as his only chance, he asked him for her hand in marriage. He explained how he felt about her. He explained that she was everything to him. He explained his anxiety and how she had helped him in Toronto. He rambled for a solid five minutes before Tom had stopped him with a small smile.

And he had nodded his consent.

Tom explained that he appreciated the gesture but he trusted Holly to make the best choice for her. He explained that Holly was the strongest woman in his life and this was the happiest she had ever been. He explained that they exuded love and companionship.

That was when Chris burst into tears, overwhelmed but Tom’s kindness and the reality of the situation.

Holly stirred beside him, rolling to her side and resting her head against his chest. Cracking an eye open, he wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. “We’re going to sleep well tonight.” He murmured. Holly laughed quietly and agreed.

They were quiet for a few moments, watching the clouds above them. “I don’t know if I’m ready to go back to L.A. tomorrow.” She whispered, burying her face into his neck. 

“Me neither.” He replied, squeezing her hip. “But we can take trips out here as much as you want. Boston isn’t far from here. We can see both of our families within a week.” Holly nodded. 

“Things are going to slow down after the press tour.” She reminded him. “Maybe we could bring Sophie with us and spend more like a month or two on this coast.”

“I’d love that.” He smiled, kissing her cheek.

“We should probably eat our snacks and head back down.” Holly mumbled, rolling onto her back and stretching her arms above her head. 

“In that case…” he smiled, sitting up and patting the space between his legs. She settled in between them, leaning back against his chest. They shared trail mix and a couple of apples.

\- - -

Holly crossed her arms over her chest as she watched a plane take off from the airport window, holding her tears back. It was never easy for her to leave home. After having such a great week with Chris and her family, she found it even more difficult. Two strong arms wound around her waist and pulled her back into a muscular chest and she sighed, turning into him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. We’ll be back soon.” He whispered, rubbing her back.

“I know. I just hate saying goodbye.” She hiccupped, resting her ear against his heart.

“I know, sweetheart.” He murmured, kissing the top of her head. “I know.” A few moments past before he pulled back to cup her cheeks and brush her tears away with his thumbs. “There’s a little convenience store over there. Want me to go get you a Cherry Coke and see if they have some of those Nutella To Go things?”

“You’re amazing.” She said quietly, leaning up to kiss his cheek. With a small smile, Chris wiped one more tear away and dug into his backpack to grab his wallet, heading over to the store. Holly settled into the chair beside their carry-ons and watched him with a small smile. He was quick to grab what she needed and returned to her, sliding into the seat beside her and handing her the bag.

“I got some other candy bars that sounded really good for you too.” He murmured, watching her munch on her Nutella, resting her head against his shoulder. 

“You’re the best, Chris.” She said, swallowing. “Seriously. Thank you.” When she turned her tearful brown eyes on him, he almost dropped to his knee right there and asked her to marry him. Mustering up the courage, he kissed her forehead and smiled down at her.

“I do it because I love you so much.”

“I love you more than anything.” Holly confessed quietly. Beaming down at her, he nuzzled his nose against hers. They jumped apart when the flight attendant began the boarding process for their plane with sheepish smiles and their cheeks stained pink.


	25. Chapter 25

It seemed like ever day that they were in Los Angeles, they never seemed to see each other. Chris had a busy day talking with executives about his next directing opportunity and Holly spent half the day at the publicity office and the other half applying to California State’s communication graduate program. 

By the time she had gotten home, she was exhausted and her brain was empty. Without a care, she threw her bag on the couch and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. 

“Chris?” she called, pulling her blazer off and hanging it up in the closet. Kicking her shoes off, she took the stairs one at a time, unbuttoning her blouse and tossing it into their overflowing hamper. She furrowed her eyebrows when Chris wasn’t sprawled out across the bed or in the bathroom. Unzipping, her skirt, she tossed it on the bed. She sighed in relief as she tugged a sports bra on and stepped into sweatpants, topping it off with one of his zip-up sweatshirts. 

Hearing a noise downstairs, she slipped into her slippers and smiled to herself. When she headed back the way she came, calling is name again, she froze at the top of the stairs. 

A small white ball of fur with big black eyes sat at the bottom step, ears perked and watching her. Sophie sat right behind, wagging her tail excitedly. Chris appeared from around the corner, smiling up at her sheepishly. 

“Hi, Hol. How was your day?” he asked, holding back his laugh as she slowly descended the stairs with her eyebrows raised at the puppy. 

“It was… good… who is this?” Holly replied, sinking to the floor beside the wiggling ball of fur. 

“Well,” he started, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was at a pet store today picking up a surprise for Sophie and I saw this little munchkin. She was wiggling all over the place while I was talking to her… annnd here we are.” he explained, leaning against the wall. Holly pet her with a small smile and then pulled her into her arms. 

“What did you name her?” she asked, setting the puppy down and standing up. 

“I was waiting for you, but how do you feel about ‘Winnie’?”

“I love it.” She grinned, “She’s so cute!” Chris wrapped an arm around her. “Where’s my hello kiss, Evans?” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who do you take me for? I was getting to that.” He chuckled, lowering his lips to hers sweetly. She sighed, hands stilling on his chest. “How did everything go today? You didn’t answer me earlier.” 

“I was a little bit preoccupied.” She teased, rolling her eyes. “Today went well. They’re pretty busy with other clients at the office so it was almost relaxing for me.” 

“Operative word being ‘almost.’” He mumbled into her hair, exhaling deeply. 

“How was your day?” she asked, closing her eyes and laying her ear to his heart. 

“It was good. I’m hoping to that this directing job goes through.” He said excitedly, rubbing his hand up and down her back. Holly pulled back to look him in the eye, a grin gracing her lips. 

“So proud of you, Chris.” She said quietly, rolling to her tiptoes to kiss him. 

“Thank you.” He replied bashfully, gazing down at her affectionately. They were interrupted by Sophie rubbing up against their legs and Winnie tugging at the leg of her sweatpants. 

“This is going to be like raising a kid.” Holly laughed, reaching down to pluck Winnie from the floor. Chris laughed, throwing his head back and catching her hand on his chest. 

“Well, think of it as good practice for us.” He said nonchalantly, kissing the side of her head and heading into the kitchen. Holly’s heart hammered in her chest as she watched him walk away with wide eyes. When he turned back to look at her, he found her watching him with a small smile, leaning up against the archway. “What?” he laughed, popping the top of a beer and returning to her. 

“You’ve thought about having kids with me?” she asked shyly. 

“Of course I have.” He replied, taking her hand and leading her over to the couch. “Have you?” 

“Of course.” She said quietly, setting Winnie in between them. 

“How many?” Chris said with a small smile, resting his arm across the back of the couch. 

“Three or four.” Blushing, she pulled her legs up on the couch and crossed them. 

“Me too.” He murmured, watching her closely. 

“I had a dream about us the other night.” She started softly, looking down at Winnie. “You and I were at the beach that I used to go to for a week every summer with my dad. There were two kids with us. The boy was a spitting image of you and the girl had your eyes and my hair.” Tears came to Chris’s eyes as she leaned into him, burying her face into his chest. “I’ve never had a dream so vivid, Chris. Ever.” He was quiet, wiping a tear away. Worried that she had freaked him out, she pulled back to stammer an apology, but bit her bottom lip when she took in his red-rimmed eyes. 

“I love you so much.” He chuckled through his tears. 

“I love you too.” Holly leaned forward to catch his lips with hers. His arms wrapped around her tightly. Being careful not to crush Winnie, she pulled back and smiled at him. “It’s getting late. Want to order a pizza?” she asked, feeling his fingers play with the zipper od his sweater she had stolen. 

“Yeah, that would be…” he trailed off, unzipping it to find that she was wearing only a sports bra beneath it. “Ohhh…” 

“Why don’t you call the pizza place…” she trailed off, setting Winnie on the floor and finding the hem of his shirt. She pulled it over his head and fished around in his shorts pocket and found his phone, slipping it into his hand. “And I’ll get started.” 

“You’ll get…?” Chris moaned as she found his semi-erect cock through his shorts, gently massaging it. 

“Call them.” She whispered in his ear, gently nipping at his ear lobe. He hissed, fingers shaking as he found the contact for the pizza place. Taking advantage of that moment, she unzipped his fly and tugged his boxer briefs down to free him. He cursed, putting the phone up to his ear while it rang. Deliberately making direct eye contact with him, pulled his sweatshirt off slowly and pushed her sweatpants down her legs. 

“Uh, yeah, hi. I’m ordering for delivery, please.” Holly leaned back down to kiss him and give him a single stroke. “Ev-ahh-ns.” He cleared his throat, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“Lift your hips.” She whispered, tugging on his shorts underwear. He obeyed and watched her discard both into the pile. 

“A large cheese and pepperoni, please.” He said, gently brushing her hair away from her face to watch her press kisses to his abdomen. “Yes. Thank you.” Hanging up, he tossed his phone to the other side of the couch and scooped her up and laid her across it. Holly whimpered as he positioned herself at her entrance and pushed in, burying his face into her neck. 

“Fuck, Chris.” She mumbled, holding his arms on either side of her. His thrusts were quick once he settled on top of her and he brought his face from its hiding spot, watching how desperate she was for him. Her mouth fell open as she gasped for breath and her eyelids fluttered. 

“I love it when you get naughty.” He mumbled through gritted teeth. “I love knowing that I’m the only one who has ever seen you like this.” Her hands ran down his back and to his ass, holding him inside of her. Her fingernails left crescents in their wake as she scraped up his back, arching towards him. 

“It’s only for you.” She breathed, tears of overstimulation coming to her eyes. “Only you, Chris.” He growled, latching onto her neck to leave a glaring purple ring. 

“Rub your clit, baby.” Chris commanded, thrusting faster. 

“Please, please, please…” she sobbed, burying her face in his neck as she moved a hand between them to follow his instruction. It didn’t take much for her to come, arching her back off the couch and milking him for all that he was worth. He shouted through his release, rearing and burying himself in her. When he collapsed on top of her, she let out a laugh of disbelief and sighed. 

“Look at that. We still have 25 minutes to spare…” he panted, pulling back to look at her. “What to do, what to do…” 

“I have an idea.” She said, flipping him so she was on top and earning a giggle.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of Hidden in the Fall. I am, however, ready to take prompts for oneshots that you want to see with Holly and Chris! Just send them my way and I'll have them done as soon as possible. Thank you so much for reading and sticking through this story with me! I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

As most mornings, Chris woke up to find himself alone, curled up on his side. With a small, sleep grin, he stretched his arms over his head and slowly sat up. Sophie licked his hand happily, Winnie sitting at her feet with her backend wiggling excitedly. “Good morning, girls.” He greeted them quietly, offering belly rubs. When he finally escaped to the kitchen, he found it empty. If she wasn’t in their living room or watering the flowerbeds out front, he knew exactly where she was. His lips twisted into a smirk as he pulled his sweatpants down his legs and stepped out the back door, closing it quietly behind him. 

Her back was to him as she propped herself on her elbows, the rest of her body dangling in the cool, crisp, clear waters of the pool. Her hair was beginning to curl post-soak, the tips gliding along the top of the water. Her dry hand turned the pages of a magazine nonchalantly. 

Chris ignored the coolness of the water, wading into the pool and focusing on his love. When he reached her, hid strong arms wound around her, one at her waist and the other aligning with one of her arms. Her body melted into his instantly, head lolling against their arms as he pressed a kiss to the side of her head. 

“Good morning,” she whispered through a small sigh. 

“Mmm, good morning.” He replied, hooking a finger around a soaked curl to make way for a kiss. “How id your day off so far?”

“Blissful.” Holly turned in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. 

“Well,” he said, supporting her by pressing her back into the pool wall. “After breakfast, I have a surprise for you.” 

“A surprise?” she asked quietly, cocking her head with a sweet close-lipped smile. 

“Yeah.” Chris chuckled breathlessly. “It requires us getting in the car and a blindfold.” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

“Hmm… I guess we better get our day started then.” Her whisper ended as she kissed him, winding her arms around. 

“If this is how we’re getting our day started, I highly approved.” He mumbled in between kisses. 

“What do you want for breakfast?” she asked, quietly, running her fingers through his short brown hair. 

“You.” His answer was simple, earning a happy laugh. 

“Eggs, toast and bacon it is.” She said, “You can have me later… after this surprise you’re so keen on taking me to.” The couple slowly made their way out of the pool, sharing the towel that she had brought out. 

“Do you want to take a pre-breakfast shower with me?” she asked quietly, her hand brushing against his bare arm as she sauntered towards the stairs. With a pleased smirk, Chris took her hand and they eagerly bounded up the stairs. 

—

Chris grinned nervously to himself, tugging his blindfolded girlfriend behind him. After about a 45 minute drive, they had arrived and were immediately escorted inside Disneyland Park. 

“When can I take my blindfold off?” Holly laughed, stumbling as she tripped over her own feet. 

“Almost there.” He assured her, masking his laugh with a cough. A door creaked in front of her, making her furrow her eyebrows. The hustle and bustle of a bust Main Street U.S.A. and the cheery, upbeat tunes flooded her ears. Her bottom lip began to quiver and she squeezed his hand. 

“Chris,” she murmured, pulling herself closer to him. With a knowing smile, he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. He gently untied the blindfold and squeezed her hip as she turned into him. “I haven’t been here in so long.” 

“I know. I’ve wanted to bring you for awhile.” He told her quietly, gently brushing her tears away with his thumbs. She leaned up to kiss him excitedly, completely forgetting that they were in public. “What do you want to do first?” 

“Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s my favorite.” She answered excitedly, dragging him as he laughed happily. 

They spent the day riding rides, meeting characters, sharing popcorn and ice cream and buying each other Mickey hats and souvenirs. The day was fleeting and it was soon nighttime. 

“Where do you want to watch the fireworks?” Holly asked him, taking his hand as they exited Space Mountain. 

“Well, if it’s okay with you, I’ve reserved a spot for us.” He replied quietly, wrapping his arm around her waist. 

“Yeah, of course.” She grinned, letting him lead her to a secluded and gated garden where a Cast Member awaited them. He simply smiled and nodded and she let them in, closing the door behind them. There was a blanket spread out over the grass and he led her over, setting the bag he was holding on the corner of it and plopping down, motioning to the space between his legs. With a grin, she complied and rested her back against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. For a few moments, they were quiet, taking in the buzz and excitement in the air. As she was about to turn around and thank him for the day, the lights went down and the fireworks began. 

Everything was normal for the first five minutes, the two of them watched with childlike awe though they had seen if before. But when it began to feature the iconic Disney love stories, she felt him carefully shift her. She turned around to ask him if he was okay, but her eyes caught a group standing just inside the gate. It was both of their families—her parents, his parents and siblings plus their kids. They all watched as he carefully shifted from beneath her and got on one knee. Holly’s hands flew to her mouth as tears flooded his favorite brown eyes. 

“I love you.” He started simply, taking her hand as she turned all the way toward him. “I know it wasn’t easy at first. We’ve come so far and grown so much together. You make me laugh, you make my heart flutter when you walk in a room, you’ve given me so much of yourself.” He yelled over the fireworks the best he could. “You’re the most important thing in my life and I want you to be there through the rest of it—bad things, good thing, putting our kids to bed, reading them stories, bringing them to Disney. You’re it for me.” Carefully, Chris opened the box to reveal a gorgeous silver diamond ring that glittered with the red fireworks overhead. “Holly, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” She began to nod before he was even done, reaching for him. 

“Yes. My God, yes.” She breathed, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck. The families cheered over the loud booms and music, engulfing the couple in hugs and crying happy tears with them. 

For the first time in a long time, Holly wasn’t questioning anything; her one sure thing sat beside her, blue eyes glistening with tears as they smiled at each other. She was complete.


End file.
